Baby Steps
by The Wacky Wannabe Writer
Summary: At the collapse of the Iifa Tree, the world mourned the death of its’ bravest hero. Zidane Tribal, however, is very much alive, and faced with a crippling injury, is forced to come to terms with both his disability and the loss of the woman he loves.
1. Chapter 1

Hiii all!

Um, this is the first fic I've posted on this account so plz be nice D

Um the first chapter is really long, I know, but it's more of an introduction sort of thing, just to get all that stuff out of the way. That's when it'll get interesting and (hopefully) different, because I know nothing here is really special, hehe.

Big ups to Nicole, for helping encourage me to write this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Squaresoft, Enix, Final Fantasy IX, or anything else you see here. Deal with it D

* * *

"Mornin' hun!"

"Ugh. Go away Ruby."

"Now now! I gone get up early an' cook yer some pancakes, an' _this_ is the thanks I get?"

"You're kidding! Bro, get up, quick before the Boss eats it all!"

"I'm awake." Blank managed to sigh before he could be roughly shaken by the man who shared his tent. "Go save me some."

"All right!" Ruby squeaked loudly as Marcus pushed past her in his eagerness to get to the pancakes. "Make way!"

"Y'all right in there Blank?" The woman eyed the dark-haired man in concern. Blank merely nodded, and rolled over onto his back. "Don' be too long now, Marcus was right about Baku."

"All right." Blank nodded, and waited until Ruby left, and he was alone, before rolling back over, pulling his blanket up to his nose. The truth was, he knew perfectly well that Ruby was making pancakes. He heard her getting up to make them an hour early, struggling with limited food supplies and only an open fire and a few utensils to work with. She had the _bluest_ language when she thought nobody was listening. Blank rubbed at his itching eyes, trying to shake the feeling of tiredness. Once again, he had passed a night with almost no sleep.

But he was far from alone in that respect. Blank heard Baku getting up and pacing the camp site several times during the night, and it was hours before Marcus stopped tossing and turning beside him.

_I can't lie here forever. Ruby worked real hard on those pancakes, and I'm __**starving**__._ Blank groaned as he sat up, running his hands through his hair. Almost in a daze, he pulled on his outer clothing and boots, before standing up and out of the pyramidal moogle's tent.

It was a cold morning, and mist ("regular mist, not monster mist." He reminded himself after a heartbeat of panic) stretched as far as one could see, in all directions. He could not see the ocean. Already a knot of people were gathered around the fire, fighting over Ruby's pancakes, which seemed to be going down a hit.

"Hey, that was mine!"

"Shove off Cinna, I called it. Get up earlier if you wanna be in- Hey!"

"Bwahahahaha! Thanks a pile Marcus. Mmm Ruby these are good!"

"Aw come on Boss! That was saved for Blank!"

"It's all right." Blank sat down cross-legged between Marcus and Ruby. "I'm not so hungry." His stomach growled loudly in protest. "All right, I'm hungry, but don't worry."

"Aw, it's okay hun." Ruby whisked a cloth off a small plate, revealing a small stack of her pancakes. "I saved some for ya."

"Aw, thanks Ruby." Blank forced a smile before taking the plate, staring down at the food glumly.

"Bosses tax!" Baku barked, before quickly striking, snatching a slightly misshapen pancake from Blanks' plate. "So Ruby, what's the occasion? Did I forget someone's birthday again?"

"Nah, I just thought y'all deserved a pick me up..." Her thick blonde locks fell over her face as she stared into the fire. "Uh, I'm going to hafta get back to Conde Petie sometime taday. We're almost completely out of everythin'!"

"Sure." Baku nodded. "How much do you think you'll need?"

"Uh, I aint so sure.."

Blank tuned out, staring at the flickering flames, a shifting puzzle of orange and yellow. He refused to look at the Iifa Tree that loomed above them – no one could.

_It's been ten days._ Blanks hands' clenched into fists. _Ten days since the Mist disappeared and the Tree collapsed. And eight days since we first got here and started looking._ He rested his chin on his knees glumly. _We don't have much time left before..._ He closed his mind to the inevitable. But he would not, never, give up, not while there was a hope, a chance, no matter how vague.

It was a memory that would burn on his mind forever. A face he would never forget, not in a million years.

_Zidane... Why did you go back?_

The entire ship was so amazingly relieved to learn they were all alive. Blank was sure that he spotted tears of joy in Baku's eyes. But when the small band of heroes entered the bridge of the ship, Blank knew in an instant something was horribly wrong. It was written, hauntingly, all over Garnets' face.

"_... Where is Zidane...?"_

"_He... Went back... back for Kuja."_

It was as though the room erupted, as the members of Tantalus surrounded the traumatized queen, demanding why, how, when. Only Blank stared at the window with growing horror as the vines starting smothering the tree. The others didn't notice, until it was too late. Garnet sank to her knees as the tree collapsed, hands pressed against the glass. Eiko literally screamed, Vivi sat down and spoke to no one, and even Amarant and Steiner seemed rattled. And to that day, Blank still had no idea _why_.

_What the hell did you risk your life for?_

The moment the ship touched down in Lindblum, Baku began arranging things. An airship would have to be stolen, under the cover of darkness, since the Prima Vista had been destroyed. Gil was gathered, supplies sent for, axes and weapons collected.

What made Blank so amazed, and proud, of his brothers, was that not once did anyone object. Even though it was essentially a lost cause, that the chances of even finding his body was slim, and finding him alive was almost nonexistent, no one argued that there was nothing that could be done.

The others knew, of course. Cid, at least, _must_ have known when he woke up the next morning to find one of his fastest battle airships gone and the Tantalus hideout completely empty of life. But so far, no one had even received a piece of mail via mognet, which Ruby was familiar with, much less a visit.

"I said Blank!" The male jumped at the sound of his name, looking over at his Boss. "You go with Ruby to Conde Petie. Keep her safe, in case you run in to any Mist monsters lurking about." Blank nodded, finally tearing his attention away from the flames. "The rest, I want some solid work on breaking through those vines. No more messing about, you hear? If we don't get through that big outer layer by tonight, we might as well pack up and go home, the rate we're moving."

"But Boss," Marcus complained. "We're moving as fast as we can!"

"Well, move faster!" Baku snapped in return, standing up and stretching. "Come on gang, up and at 'em! Let's get well and stuck into it by sunrise!"

"Huh." Marcus muttered as Baku stomped back to his tent. "What a bias. You know Blank, while you were in the Evil Forest, all petrified, Baku took his own sweet time getting around to rescuing you. But when it's his favourite Zidane in trouble, we have to "move faster!" Gah, that's unfair!"

"Aw Marcus that 'aint all true." Ruby started collecting the plates as everyone started standing up, stretching and yawning in the cold morning air. "After all, we've on'y got a few more days before we're... too late." She finally finished.

"Ten days is already a really long time without food and water." Blank muttered quietly, looking down at the ground. "I don't like our chances."

"I know that." Marcus picked up the axe he had been using for the past week to attack the vines with a tone of finality in his voice. "But we have to hope, Blank. What else do we have?"

"He's right ya know." Ruby was staring, not at the Iifa Tree, but the far-off mist, which had turned pink by the approaching sunlight. "Blank, ya look tired. Hows' about ya get a bit more sleep, an' I wash up, hm? Then we can go."

"... All right." Blank arched his neck a little in a stretch, before slouching back to his tent, slumping down with a sigh on his rumpled blanket. He was exhausted, but despite his intense fatigue, his mind was racing. _I'm not gonna be able to sleep... But the rest is nice. I need my strength up if I want to get to Conde Petie today... Damnit._

"Boss, how far do you think these roots go?" Marcus grunted as he slammed the axe into a thick green vine, widening the deep scar which ravaged it, chips the size of saucers flying.

"How the bloody hell should I know?" Baku jumped back as the vine he was attacking dropped to the ground with an unpleasant _squelch_ and oozing of a dark green sap. "Could be miles."

"Great." Cinna wiped at his forehead, which was already beaded with sweat. "I hope he is alive. Cos then I can _kill_ him for this."

"Get in line." Marcus muttered darkly. "Hey Boss, I think... Yeah! Hey Boss, come look at this!"

"What?" Baku dropped his axe, pushing past the Nero brothers in his excitement and eagerness to get to Marcus. "What did you find!"

"Look." Marcus let his own axe dangle from his hand, which hung at his side, as he pointed. They had managed to hack their way close to the Iifa Tree's trunk over the past few days, realising that to get to Zidane, they would need to explore the bowels of the tree. "These roots are different. They're a way darker green than the other ones. And it looks like they're going into a hole..."

"A way in!" Baku clapped Marcus on the back, with excessive force, too, the bandit noticed, his knees almost buckling. "But... How deep are the vines?"

"How the hell should I know?" Marcus stared thoughtfully at the hundreds of vines. "Could be a few feet, could be miles and miles. But if you cut at them, would it support your weight? I mean, we would be tunnelling and it could go nasty..."

"I don't know." Baku sighed. "It's not like what we're standing on is overly solid." As if to prove his point, he jumped up and down on the thick, dead brown vine they all stood on, which creaked ominously. "Let's not poke at it until we have some rope. There's no way I'm risking anyone's life."

"So we're gonna head back?" Baku nodded impassively, his axe on his shoulder. Cinna sighed with relief, and started to follow the bandit leader, Marcus behind him, and the Nero brothers bringing up the rear. "I hope we haven't missed Ruby and Blank..."

"No problem." Baku exclaimed. "I'll just sent Genereo and Zenero here. You wouldn't mind, would you?"

"Not at all Boss!"

"It's our pleasure!" Both waved their arms in affirmation.

"See?" Baku said. "You two rogues could take a leaf outta their book one day."

"Oh, whatever." Marcus rolled his eyes, straightening his bandanna. Even though he'd only been hacking at the vines for half an hour, he was exhausted. "Uh, Boss, how about all of us just take the day off? You know, for a bit of R&R? We really need it."

"We just started!" Baku barked from the front. "No chance! Toughen up Marcus. We'll be done with the hard slogging soon."

"Boss, everyone's exhausted." Marcus said quietly. "Nobody's sleeping right, we're pushing ourselves too hard and not eating enough... We have to take a break."

"We will take a break." Marcus brightened. "When we find Zidane. Bwahahaha! Tell you what. You can have nap time this morning until we finally get our hands on some rope, ya big baby."

"... Thanks." Marcus clutched onto his axe tighter, staring at the ground. Although the roots were thick and wide, he still had balancing issues sometimes. Blank said he saw Zidane clear the whole thing in less than a minute. How was his balance so good? Marcus constantly felt as though he were about to fall off...

"Blank?" Baku dropped his axe carelessly to the ground, peering around the campsite, which was located on the overhanging lip of stone just outside the Iifa Tree, the closest solid ground they could get to the area. "Ruby? You still here?"

"Whut ya want?" Ruby looked out of her own tent. "I was doin' my hair."

"Good, you're still here." Baku reached into one of his many pockets, pulling out a small leather bad. "We need rope. As much as you can get."

"Why?" Ruby caught the small bag her boss tossed, judging its weight. "You find somethin'?"

"A way into the tree." Marcus mumbled before stumbling into the tent, crashing onto his blanket with a groan. "Oi, lazybum, you're going to town, 'aint ya?"

"Yep." Blank screwed his face up, which was still pressed into the pillow. "Why are you back so early?"

"We found a way into the tree." Blank lifted his head in surprise. "But the Boss won't let us go near it without rope. Reckons' it's dangerous."

"That's great." Blank sat up wearily, his heart considerably lighter. "So once we get inside the tree..."

"It's just a matter of time." Marcus finished, his arms folded behind his head. "So hurry up and get to Conde Petie."

"All right, I'll get up." Blank crawled out of the tent, fighting back a yawn.

"I was about to get ya." Baku clapped the dark-haired man on the back as he approached his side. "Rope. Alot of it. Not too hard to remember, I hope."

"Ugh." Blank rolled his eyes. "I'm not stupid. So you guys did find something."

"Yep." Baku scratched absentmindedly at his stomach. "The way in is completely blocked by vines, but if we clear out the tunnel, we can get in. Then the search'll really start."

"When do you think we can get into the tree?" Blank asked, staring into the flickering fire, as opposed to Baku's face.

"I don't know." Baku groaned. "Soon, I hope." He cuffed Blank playfully around the head. "Let's just take it as we go, Blank."

"But What if-"

"No what ifs!" Baku barked. "No arguments. We're not leaving without Zidane. Now come on, Ruby's waitin' for ya."

"... All right." Blank headed towards the girl, shoulders slumped. "Let's go, Ruby."

"All right, hun." She flashed him a weak smile, before making her way down the thin trail that led to the Mountain Path. "We 'aint seen hardly any monsters."

"Yeah." Blank murmured thoughtfully. All the same, he kept his weapon close to him. "Ruby... I'm... Starting to get doubts."

"Whut about?" The girl frowned slightly, surveying Blank. "Not about Zidane..."

"Do you think he's alive?" Blank murmured quietly, his eyes on the path.

"Well... I hope he's alive, I mean-"

"I didn't say _hope._" Blank looked over to the blonde girl. "Do you really believe, deep down, that he could have survive something as massive as the Iifa Tree collapsing, and still be alive ten days later? Do you?"

"... Don't Blank." There was an unusually hard edge to her voice. "We can' think like that. We just have to try-"

"W-We can't _try_ anymore!" Blank felt as though he was reaching the end of his rope. "Don't you understand, Ruby? This is useless? We're looking for a dead man! And while we're still here, think of all the pain we're putting people through? As long as we're here, Garnet isn't going to stop hoping. We're putting her through hell!"

"We're giving her hope!" Ruby shot back. "As well as Zidane's other friends! Think of that little girl, Eiko. And the mage. They're kids, Blank. Little kids. What's wrong with us trying to give them something to hope for?"

"... Is it wrong that..." Blank shoved his hands in his pockets. "Is it wrong that I don't want to find him?"

"Whut?" Ruby stopped short in her walk, staring wide-eyed at Blank. "Whut do you mean? How can ya?"

"I-I mean, I want to find him alive, so much. There's no doubt about that at all. But... I want to remember Zidane in the good times. I don't want to see what the Tree has done for him. I get these nightmares Ruby. Where we find his body. And it's so bloody awful, so mutilated. I can't go through with that in real life. I-"

"Blank, sit down." Ruby pushed the man down onto a wide, flat rock, before taking a seat rather primly beside him. "Ya can' be thinkin' like this. Now, look at me." Sighing, Blank turned his gaze towards her. "Now. Whut would Zidane say right now if he was here? Whut would 'e say to ya?"

"That..." Blank raked his fingers through his hair. "That I'm being stupid. That we can't let his body rot inside the place that killed him. That even while there's the slimmest, wildest chance he's alive, we have to do everything we can to save him."

"Exactly." Ruby placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "So why 'ain ya doin that, huh?"

"... It's hard." Blank mumbled. "How can I not think the worst? Come on Ruby. You can't tell me you're not terrified of coming across a battered corpse, knowing that he died in horrible agony."

"Of course I am." Ruby's shoulders slumped in defeat when she realised there was just no chance of pulling the man out of his depressed torpor.

"That's what I thought." Without another word, Blank stood up, and started to walk the path once more, the blonde following anxiously.

They completed the hike in silence.

* * *

"Rally ho!"

"Rally ho!" Ruby replied cheerfully to the dwarves, who stood behind the counter of the small weapons shop.

"Rally ho." Blank mumbled gloomily, following Ruby as she made her way inside the dwarfish village.

"Hun, can ya ask aroun' 'bout the rope? I'll sort out this food business." Blank nodded silently, and crossed the small shop, which bore no rope as far as he could tell, into the small hallway, which he crossed, heading into the small inn, which he hoped could bear some information.

"Margaret?" He asked as sweetly as he could, flashing a smile.

"Ah, good t' see ye, young laddie!" The dwarfish woman beamed in return. "How cannae be a-helpin' ye?"

"Um, I was wondering, if you could tell me where exactly I could find rope." Blank enquired. "As much as you can."

"Ah, ye still be messing in t' Sanctuary?" Her voice took on a scolding tone. "I dinnae think ye should stay there. Ach, we were blocked off! If t' Pyntie-hats dinnae come an' use they' magic..."

"I know, I know." He had seen the wreckage of the burnt stubs of vines at the entrance to Conde Petie, and the Mountain Path. Blank momentarily wondered if Vivi had helped. "Please, it's very important, and the items and weapons' shop both have none, as far as I can tell."

"Ye kin ask t' weapons' men again." She said. "Ye have a good day nae!" With that, Blank left, slightly worried. So the dwarves were against what they were doing as well. Oh well, just more dissenters to join the ranks. Sighing, Blank crossed to where Ruby was haggling with the dwarfish woman behind the counter over the price of a pumpkin, their accents both making comprehension difficult between them, despite the fact that they had met several times before to do business.

"Rally-ho!" Thomas waved at the outsider. "Ah kin be a-selling what ye need!"

"I hope so." Blank sighed. "Um, I really need some rope. As much as you guys have."

"Rope?" Thomas rustled around in a large wooden crate. "Ah kin be a-givin ye soom rope. Hold on ye a minute."

"Take your time." Blank crossed his arms, giving Richard and Matthew Watchmen a slight nod. Amusing, really, the time that Blank and Ruby first entered Conde Petie through the recently cleared path. Indeed, the dwarves were shocked to see them enter through the 'restricted' area, and upon learning they were unmarried, refused to even serve them, unless they attended the 'ceremony'. It was Ruby that reasoned with Blank that there was no way they could work without regularly coming to the village for supplies, and that anyway, outside of Conde Petie it would mean nothing.

_I wonder if Zidane did the same thing for Garnet_...

"Ah! 'Ere ye go!" Several large coils of rope were slapped onto the table "T'at'll be aboo four-hundred gil apiece!"

"... Ouch." Blank made a face as he reached for the moneybag Ruby had given him. _He probably knows how desperate I am, and this is the only place where I can get it, the greedy man._ "Okay then. Here you go!" He handed over the money, before looping the coils of rope around his arms, and heading back to Ruby, hoping she had finished her purchases. Alas, she was still fighting with Wendy, this time over a small sack of potatoes. "Oh, come on Ruby." Blank pleaded. "I really want to get going. Please?"

"In a moment, 'old yer horses!" Ruby shot the man a death glare, and turned back to Wendy. "Look at these! Hun, these 'ere potatoes are startin' to sprout! There is _no_ way I'm goin' ta pay a hundred gil for these!"

"Oh, come on!" Blank protested. "Just pay her the money so we can leave."

"But Blank-"

"Please." He begged. The blonde only groaned.

"Hun, why don' ya go an' lie down, hm? I'll tell you when we're finished here."

"Ugh." Blank stamped off, almost acting like a child. _But then again, I am being treated like one, so what should honestly be expected?_

He lay on one of the inn beds, staring up at the ceiling as he waited for Ruby to finish. He didn't say anything to the dwarves, and they completely ignored him. It was as though he had the plague. As always, when he was alone, his mind drifted back to that of his blonde friend, who lay, trapped beneath miles and miles of vines and branches.

_What are we going to do if he's dead? Bring his body back to Lindblum? I spose he'd receive a hero's funeral and all that... But is pomp and ceremony what he really wanted? I know he would definitely appreciate the attention, there's no doubt about that, but I just cannot see him wanting some sort of military-style funeral that they give for fallen heroes. Where would he be buried? What would-_

_No._ Blank sat up, heaving a sigh. _I can't be thinking like this, and I know it. Ruby was right. If Zidane could see me, he would laugh at me then hit me for being so stupid. But I can't help it! I don't have any hope, not like Ruby and Baku. God, no wonder nobody wants to be around me right now. I just can't stop... Moping._

_I have to keep hoping. Or at least, try to keep hoping. He's not supposed to die like this. He's supposed to get the girl and have a fairy-tale ending. He just can't be... Dead._

"Blank?" The man sat up. "Ya ready ta go, hun?"

"... Yeah." Blank nodded, slowly getting off the bed. "Thanks." He said gratefully to the dwarf, who merely nodded. She was still frosty with them all for messing with the Iifa Tree, but Blank knew that she would never do anything to stop them. Not that she could.

"I managed to get everythin', _an'_ with gil ta spare!" Ruby beamed. "'Aint that great?"

"Yeah." Blank forced a smile. "It is." He passed the doorway, which led to the outside world, the side which led to the ruins of Madain Sari, and the Black Mage village. "This place is so much more... Open than the Mist continent." Blank paused, staring out the door with a strange expression on his face. "It's unsettling."

"Don' think about it hun." Ruby gently pulled at Blanks' wrist. "C'mon, it's time fer us ta leave."

"... All right." Blank was led away, shoulders slouched. He was actually eager to get back, so they could get started on really making their way inside the Tree, and followed obediently. "Lets... Get back."

Ruby gave Blank a small, sad smile.

* * *

"There." Baku jumped as Blank threw the coils of rope onto the dirt floor.

"Great." The boss nodded, picking up one of the pieces of rope, and inspecting it. "Good and strong. We'll be going out first thing after lunch. Ruby, lunch!"

"Comin' right up!" She called from her tent, where she also stored the food and supplies, seeing as she was the only member who had a tent to herself.

"Great." Cinna yawned and stretched. "I'm starved."

"Hey. Where's Marcus?" Blank asked Baku, who merely pointed to shared tent. "Oh, okay." The dark-haired man walked towards the tent, and pushed open the loose canvas flap. Marcus lay awake on the bed, staring up at the roof of the tent. "Hey."

"Hey." Marcus looked up as Blank sat down upon his blanket cross-legged. "Have fun?"

"Sort of." Blank shrugged, looking around at the tent. "The dwarves don't like what we're doing."

"Eh, screw them." Marcus shrugged. "It's not our fault. And anyways, the Iifa Tree is dead. What do they want with it?"

"How the hell should I know." Blank scratched at his head. "Hey, I've been thinking a bit." He scooted forward a little, looking more than a little concern. "What are we going to do when we find Zidane?"

"What, you mean if he's dead, or if he's alive?" Marcus finally sat up, rubbing at his eyes.

"If he's dead." Blank murmured, sounding very despondent.

"Well, we give him one hell of a send-off and bury him." Marcus shrugged. "Blank, don't think about it like that. Think about what we do when we find him alive."

"... It's just seeming like it's less and less likely to happen." Blank sighed. "How can you stay optimistic about this?"

"I dunno. Maybe I've been around Baku too much." Marcus suggested. "He's determined to find Zidane alive, whatever it takes."

"... I feel bad for him." Blank looked down at his blanket, as Marcus stared at him intently. "I mean, think about it. He's the one that looked after Zidane ever since he was a little kid and looked out for him. He was in that airship with us. Jeez, if he came out and told Zidane to get his butt up there, he probably would of."

"I don't know about that." Marcus couldn't help but smile, despite himself. "Zidane's a stubborn bastard. When he gets an idea in his head, it's not gonna come out. He was determined to stay."

"Idiot." Blank muttered. "It's killed him, after all that."

"We don't know that yet-"

"Oh, come on!" Blank raised his voiced a little, his anger getting the best of him. "There's no chance he can survive that-"

"Blank!" Marcus gritted his teeth. "I mean it. You _can't_ be thinking like this. You keep on, and I'm swapping tents with Cinna."

"I'm just being honest-"

"_Listen_ to me bro!" Marcus cried out. "I'm trying to have a little hope, and optimism here! You think I _want_ to find Zidane dead? I am hoping and praying with all my heart he's okay. But it is so damn hard to do that when you won't stop being so bloody miserable!"

"I can't be happy about this!" Blank retorted. "I _was_ hopeful, I really was! But I've just felt that hope ebb away more and more as time wore on. And now... I _can't_ hope anymore. I just... I know we're too late." He bowed his head, shoulders slumped. "Maybe a few days ago, but not now. He'll be injured, Marcus. Badly injured. No one could get through that unscathed. And I don't know how he could survive for ten days without food and water, not while he's so hurt. You can't expect me to hope."

"Then why are you here." Marcus asked Blank with a deadly serious tone. "Hm? Why are you still sticking around, if it's so incredibly hard?"

"Because." Blank's voice was unusually low. "No member of Tantalus gets left behind. Ever." He gave a long, shuddering sigh. "We can't let his body just lie here for all eternity, not after everything that he's done for the world." He continued after a long pause. "He needs to be remembered properly."

"Then hold on to that, if nothing else." Marcus said quietly. "Because unlike you, Blank. I haven't lost hope. I intend to hold on until I actually see Zidane's body in front of me. So will the Boss. And Ruby. And Cinna. And Benero and Zenereo. No one is willing to give up. Blank, I thought Zidane was one of your closest friends."

"He is." Blank agreed. "That's why it hurts so goddamned much."

"Well, you need to snap out of it, and realise that Zidane is a fighter. He's fought the worst evils in existence, and won. Do you really think that he would let himself be beaten by a stupid _tree?_"

"... No." Blank smiled, despite himself. "I suppose he wouldn't. But-"

"Exactly." Marcus cut Blank off before he could go any further, and stood up. "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Let's see if lunch is ready, all right?"

Blank nodded weakly.

OoOoO

"All right!"

Baku spun around to regard his men, his hands behind his back. Blank, Marcus, Cinna, Benero, and Zenero, all stood in a line facing him, while Ruby sat on a particularly large log, examining her fingernails. "This is it. This is why we're here." Marcus and Cinna exchanged glances, and rolled eyes. "Sneer if you like!" Baku, who was pacing in front of the men, shot the pair a withering glare, but continued. "But I all know how excited you are to get in there and get searching."

_Yeah, excited._ Blank refrained from rolling his eyes, and instead looked down at his shoes. Filled with dread, more like.

"I have decided that we will no longer camp at the edge of the Iifa Tree, as you can probably tell." He gestured to Ruby, and the supplies around her. "The trips in and out were getting too long, and especially once we get in there, and if it seems safe enough, we can find somewhere to bunk down." _Oh joy._ Nobody was exactly thrilled with the prospect. "Okay. Blank, you're going to go in first." He picked up the first rope, and tied it securely to the strongest tree root that he could find, with a massive knot. The other end he looped around Blanks waist, and spoke as he tied. "I want you to tunnel, if you understand, seeing as you have the best sword skills. Cinna is going to follow you and collect all the cut up pieces of tree, and get the way clear for everyone else. Benero, Zenero, and Marcus, you'll be pulling Cinna up and down." As he gave his orders, he was tying the second rope around Cinna. "Ruby, I want you to go through our supplies. Take only the bare necessities, and distribute them in packs that everyone can wear without it being too cumbersome. Is everyone clear?"

"Yes Boss!" Came the call in unison.

"All right!" Baku repeated, really getting a kick out of it. "Blank, you start."

"Uhh... All right." Blank eventually nodded. Slowly, he approached the blocked tunnel, a strange, almost ethereal blue-grey, and withdrew his sword from its' sheath. He hated using an axe, and found it more convenient to merely keep his sword sharp. Blank sliced through the vines at the end of the tunnel first, and then peered around, trying to judge where to go from there. It was almost like it had to be scooped out, but that was impossible.

Awkwardly, Blank started hacking at the dark green vines, finding it extremely difficult and cumbersome, but nevertheless, he soon settled into a rhythm, and realised he was actually making process. Cinna soon began to follow along behind, feeling quite foolish as he filled the large sack with as much of the mess as he could, before being asked to get pulled back up again, carelessly dumping the plant life over the side.

Meanwhile, Ruby had thoughtfully arranged all the supplies into six piles, which looked as though they could be easy enough to manage. Her main concern was water. She had two large casks, that were almost full (Thank goodness for that small river on the way to Conde Petie), but because she had no idea how long they could even be down there for, she was unsure if it was enough. It would be enough for a week, at a stretch, but anything beyond that would lead them into trouble. Who knew, Baku may have called the entire thing off by that point, anyway.

"You all right there Ruby?" Baku looked over at the girl, slowly feeding more and more rope to Blank, who was out of sight, disappeared down the small hole.

"Just thinkin', Boss." She forced a smile. "Uh, I think we've got plen'y of water and food, but some of the other stuff'll be sure hard ta carry..."

"Don't worry about the tents." Baku instructed the blonde. "We'll be undercover in there, so I guess it won't really matter. And minimize on the cooking stuff. I'm not even sure if we'll be able to light a fire in there, it's a bit dangerous, so..."

"All right." Ruby nodded. "Er, I hafta boil the vegetables then, cos they sure 'aint no good raw." Baku smiled in agreement.

"We're lucky to have you here, Ruby." His smile faded a little. "You didn't have to come with us, ya know."

"I know." Ruby busied herself. "I just wanted ta help, all I could. I know I 'aint no good with the whole rescuing part, but yer can't go without someone to cook and clean for yer."

"Even though you hate it." Baku's smile widened again. "I'm real grateful Ruby. Really. We would have starved without you."

"Glad I could help." She looked up after a pause, and beamed at the man in return.

The day wore on, and everyone had fallen into a pattern. Cinna had grown exhausted from the constant climbing, and replaced himself with Marcus, who worked with renewed vigour. Cinna and the Nero brothers were tired from the repetitive heaving of the heavier Marcus, but managed to handle themselves well, and Baku kept the tension on the rope for Blank just right, who was swiping at the vines the best he could, uncomfortably aware of how increasingly dark his environment was becoming. Ruby had cautiously set up a small fire on the roots, keeping a bucket of water handy in case it got nasty, and was carefully trying to boil the vegetables in a small pot, just a few pieces at a time, before turning it all into a pasty mash, that was easily carried, able to be eaten cold, and, if seasoned, didn't taste too bad. In fact, all was going well, until early afternoon, when Baku had called for a break, and, without thinking, let the rope supporting Blank slip through his fingers.

"Gah!" Blank's stomach dropped, and he clutched into his sword tightly as the support he felt in the gentle tug around his waist gave way, and his full weight was dropped onto the rather feeble vines. As expected, they crashed under his weight, and he experienced the odd sensation of falling, even though he was against something, buffeted about by the walls of the tunnel, the darkness increasing.

Blanks scream was cut short as the rope, which reached the end of its' length, was pulled taught, the huge vine it was tied to and Baku's skilled knot holding fast. Winded, bruised and battered, his stomach in agony, Blank hung, suspended in mid-air, still clutching onto his sword.

"Blank!" Baku roared, his head and shoulders inside the tunnel. "Blank, can you hear me?"

"Yup!" Blank called back after catching his breath, looking up at the small pool of light above him. "Loud and clear Boss! I'm fine!"

"He's fine!" Baku relayed to the rest of his members, who all let out sighs of relief. Marcus, who was in the process of emptying vines over the side of their quite precarious stand when Blank was dropped, swallowed, his hands slightly shaking. "Blank, what do you see down there?"

"Uh, I don't know!" Blank tried to peer around himself, but it was just too gloomy. "All I can see it shadows of vines! It's too dark Baku, I need light!"

"All right!" Baku shouted back down. "I've got an idea." He announced to his team on the outside. "Ruby, light me up a lamp." The girl nodded, and Baku hurriedly untied the rope around from Marcus's waist, which he then attached to the freshly-lit lamp. "I'm gonna send down a light!" He called as he reached the mouth of the tunnel. Slowly, he started to ease it down with the rope, careful to not break the lantern, and also fall in himself (Although he was unsure if he would even fit).

"Thanks!" Blank looked up, and sure enough, after a few moments, he saw a familiar little yellow gleam, as the lamp was lowered towards him. "A little more!" He called out. "More... More... Perfect!" The lantern was eye-level. Blank grabbed it quickly, and held it out away from himself, trying to examine his surroundings.

And then it hit him. The smell. It wasn't strong, not by far, but a faint, niggling sort of odour. Blank barely noticed it at first. Then, unsure of what it was, he breathed in deeply through his nose, and then froze when he realised just what that faint smell was.

Something was dead in here.

Blanks stomach went cold, and his heart was seized with fear. Was it Zidane? Or was it Kuja? Or both? Although if it was both, Blank imagined it would smell worse. Unless they both just recently died...

_Oh crap._ Blank bit down a whimper. _I'm in here, all by myself, hanging on a rope with a dead man... oh God, I need out._

"Get me out of here!" Blank shouted at the top of his lungs. "God Baku, please get me out!" The man who was listening at the mouth of the tunnel nodded, and sprang into action.

"Get him outta there!" He barked, himself heaving at the rope. The other four sprang into action, tugging at their comrade, who was clinging to the rope, shaking. Blank let the lantern go as he felt the rope around his waist being pulled at, and as soon as he was out of the large space he was in, and back inside that small tunnel, he himself climbed, as fast as he could anxious to get out of that cold, dark, awful place that smelt of death, into the light, and warmth, and open arms of his friends.

"Oh thank God." Blank gasped, on his knees at the mouth of the tunnel, still trembling madly. "I-I'm not going back in there, I... Ugh..."

"Oh, Blank." Ruby, bless her, was on her knees beside Blank, a blanket in her hands which soon made its' way around Blanks wiry shoulders. He was lead away from the tunnel mouth, closer to the small fire, which was now dying out. "Yer okay hun?" She rested a concerned hand on Blanks shoulder, the same emotion written all over her face.

"Blank, what was down there?" Baku asked urgently, quickly untying the rope from around Blanks' waist. "What did you see?"

"It's dark, but the space is huge." Blank forced his teeth to stop chattering. "The place is covered with vines though. And I mean covered. I don't know how we're gonna get through them. And..." His voice died in his throat, and he shuddered.

"What?" Baku noted how disturbed Blank was, his own concern growing.

"Baku, something is dead in there." Blanks' hands were clasped together. "I-I don't know what, but I could smell something had died, just recently or it would stink way worse..."

"Zidane?" Ruby's voice was tiny, and cracked with tears.

"Or Kuja." He gave Ruby a look, using the most reassuring tone he could muster, even though he felt as though he had been punched in the stomach. "Bloody hell..." He looked at the other bandits, gathered around the three, looking stricken.

"Well... We found something." Cinna suggested. "So, who's next to go down?"

"... You." Baku grabbed at Cinna's arm, the man protesting in a rather strangled voice. "Well, you shouldn't have suggested it then, should you have?"

"But I hate heights!" Cinna said weakly as Baku began tying the rope around his waist once more. "Come on Boss, you can't be serious..."

"Here yer go, Cinna." Ruby handed the man one of the packs, a small smile on her own face. "It'll be all right."

"I don't like this." Cinna muttered as he walked towards the entrance of the tunnel, peering down into the gloom. "What if the rope snaps?"

"Oh, it wont." Baku waved his hand. "I had a look at it. Those dwarves are damn good at making rope. It'll probably hold me and stay good. Bwahahaha!"

"... All right." Cinna muttered, slowly turning around, and making his way backwards down the tunnel. He was lowered slowly, with the aid of Marcus, the Nero brothers, and eventually Blank, and far too soon (in his opinion) he was out of the tunnel, and suspended in mid air, beside the light.

"Blank was right!" Cinna called back at the top of his lungs, holding his nose. "Ugh, this is disgusting!" It was probably his mind playing tricks on him, more than anything, but Cinna was still positive the place stunk. "It's really thick with vines, all right!" He continued, trying his hardest to see through the gloom. "I spose we can climb through, but I dunno..."

"Boss, this is the end of the rope." Marcus reported with a sigh. "We need more, or he's just going to hang there."

"Damnit, all right." Baku stepped back from the tunnel entrance, and thumped over to where the others stood. "Ruby, rope." He demanded, and the girl handed him the last coil. "All right boys, hold on to Cinna real tight now." The others nodded in agreement, and took a firm grasp of the rope.

"Boss, what are you- Boss!" Marcus gasped as Baku untied the knot that connected the rope to the vine. "What are you doing?"

"Making it longer, idiot." He replied in his usual booming voice, using his expert knot skills to tie the two ropes together, then attach the now much-longer line to the tree. "All right, now let it down!"

"Woa!" Cinna's eyes widened as the rope again took up slackness, and he started to be lowered once more. "Wait!" He squawked, quickly untying the lamp from its own support. "Go!" He yelled back, gripping onto the lantern tightly. Baku nodded, and the bandits slowly released the rope, Cinna being lowered further and further, until finally, his feet touched the vines. Testing them, he jumped up and down a little. It held under his weight. "I'm at the bottom!" Cinna called out.

"Uh, there's no more rope!" Baku yelled back, shooting a worried glance to the others, who had let the rope go.

"... Should I untie myself!?" Cinna hollered back up, peering up at the outside light, which now seemed little more than a pinhole.

"... Okay! But be careful!" Baku replied loudly. Cinna nodded, and managed to untie the knot at his waist, and let the rope dangle freely. He just hoped he could find it again, but with the lantern, he was sure that it wouldn't be that big a problem.

"Okay now." Cinna let out a long sigh. He took in a long, slow breath through his nose, trying to distinguish what direction the... Smell, came from. He took a few steps to the right, and then the left, before turning back to the right, his nose wrinkling. _Ugh, this is disgusting and freaky._ Clinging tightly to the lantern, he slowly started to walk along the top of the vines, trying to see where he should go, if he can fit in anywhere, try and squeeze through and get to whoever lay dead down there.

Finally, after a few minutes, Cinna crouched down on his hands and knees, thinking he may have found something that he could fit through. He thrust the lantern though the gap in the vines, wondering if it long enough to actually go anywhere, or would it just be a dead end?

"Hey, Baku!" Cinna straightened up, his hands cupped around his mouth as he yelled up at his leader as loud as he could. "Baku, I found a way in!"

"All right!" Baku lifted his head and shoulders. "Okay folks we're all goin' in. Everyone grab a pack off Ruby, and we'll go down one at a time. Marcus, then Benero, then Zenero, then Blank, then Ruby. I'll go last."

"... All right." Marcus, who had already pulled on a pack, stretched as the others started to pull the rope back up, steeled his nerves, biting his lip as he looked down at the dark tunnel. "Lets uh, do this." Baku, not trusting anyone else's knot-tying skills, fastened the rope around Marcus' waist, clapping him on the back. "Okay." He wasn't afraid, as he started to lower himself down the tunnel a little, until the others did the work. Well, at least he wasn't afraid of the dark, not while he had his brothers around him and was well-armed. He knew there was nothing that he couldn't face down in there – except perhaps Kuja, but didn't Dagger say that he had a change of heart and actually rescued the others? There was no doubt that he wanted Kuja to be the corpse that they found, though. The mere thought of finding Zidane dead, after all this work, set a fresh surge of fear through his heart.

"Marcus!" Cinna beamed, and rather wobbily started to walk across the vines, where Marcus landed with a dull _thud,_ and shakily started to untie the long rope. He gave it a few tugs, to explain he was free, and it started to rise back up. "You all right?"

"Fine." Marcus nodded deeply, and sat down, letting out a long breath. "Let's just wait here for the others, all right?"

"Sure." Cinna set down the lamp, and sprawled out on the greenery, toying with his hammer. "Freaky place, huh?"

"Sure is." Marcus looked around. It was rather like being in a cave, laced with vines and roots of green and brown, but more... foreboding. "Huh, you can smell it a little."

"Mmm." Cinna rubbed at his eyes, looking up, at the huge trunk of the tree, which seemed just totally black, punctuated with tiny flecks of light, which faded into nothingness. "This is really something."

"It is." Marcus muttered, at Cinna in the gloom. The shadow and light playing over his face made him look positively horrific. "Man, we just don't see stuff like this anymore, not in the Mist continent."

"No, it is a bit boring." Cinna sighed. "Remember how Baku said there wasn't much treasure in the world? Maybe there is, just... in other places."

"I don't know." Marcus shrugged. "Let's just keep our minds on the job here."

Within a couple of minutes, Benero had landed with a thump on the green vines, and Zenero quickly followed. Rather shakily, Blank joined the group, standing and waiting for Ruby, who was let down by Baku, quaking with nerves, quickly attaching herself to Blanks side, unable to look at the environment around her.

"Calm down." Blank muttered in Ruby's ear as Baku puffed and grunted above them. "It's okay. You're not gonna fall." The girl only mumbled something Blank could not hear, gripping his arm tightly.

"Come on, chickens." Cinna was quite cheerful as he led the way, holding the lamp out in front of him. Baku finally landed on the ground, joining the rest, and wiped at his brow, puffing and panting. "I don't know if you'll fit Baku, we might have to do a bit of chopping."

"No problem." They all pulled up short in their walk as Cinna revealed what he had found, the small gap in the thick web of vines.

"... I 'aint goin' down there." Ruby proclaimed feebly, tightening his hold on Blanks' arm. "Yer can' make me."

"Ruby, this isn't solid enough to stay on." Blank sighed. "Otherwise I would keep you company here but this isn't exactly a place where we can set up camp."

"No one's talking about stopping yet." Baku ordered. "Benero and Zenero, you go in first and clear it out properly for us."

"All right Boss!" They agreed in unison, and began their appointed task. Baku turned to his other men, hands on his hips.

"I'll go, then Marcus, then Cinna, then Blank, and you take Ruby." They all nodded, and Ruby clung tighter to Blank, so hard her nails began to bit into his skin.

"I can' believe yer askin' me ta do this, Boss." She muttered. Unlike the others, she rarely risked her life on a regular basis, continuously putting herself in compromising situations. In fact, her sole reason for joining Tantalus in the outset was to further her acting career. And as few plays had no female roles, Baku was all too happy to let her join. Therefore, the current plunge into the Iifa Tree, which she had never visited before, unlike the others who were aboard the Hilda Garde 3, was scarier than anything else she had ever done.

Except perhaps when Bahamut wreaked havoc on Alexandria...

"C'mon." Blank tried to coax Ruby. "Listen how quiet it is down here. Nothing is going to jump out and attack us, I'm sure."

"I'm jus' not used to this s'all." She squeaked as Blank pushed her into the widened gap in the vines. "Blank!"

"Aw, c'mon, Ruby." Cinna called out from just ahead of her, beaming. "Think of it as an adventure, no?"

"... Nah." She shook her head contemptuously, crawling at a snails pace. "Where are we goin'?"

"Good question." Baku called from up the front. "But we're goin' down. You feel that?"

"Woa, do now." Cinna replied. "How fast are those guys working?"

"Fast." Baku beamed, holding the lantern. "That's my boys! C'mon fellas, keep up the pace."

"... Oh gawd, that smells _bad_!" Ruby held a hand over her mouth, blinking. "Yer can' tell me that 'aint stronger!"

"Oh, it is." Baku made a face. "Don't know... Ya reckon it smells like dead human?"

"As opposed to _what, _Boss?" Blank was disgusted the subject was even being mentioned. "Can we _not_ talk about this?"

"Just tryin' to lighten the mood a little." Baku shrugged. "I mean, we are in a bit of a tight spot here..."

"Ya think?" Ruby whimpered, still terrified. It had gotten to the point where the downward slope was so great, that they were all carefully scooting backwards, levering themselves with their legs. "How much longer?"

"How the bloody hell should I know." Baku muttered, shaking his head. "Calm down Ruby, well find something soon."

"I hope so." She whispered.

And so the downward climb continued, at an achingly slow pace, due to the tough work Benero and Zenero had, negotiating their way through the vines, and hacking through when there was nowhere to squeeze. Finally, after over an hour, they were able to ultimately make their way out of the mess, and onto a piece of semi-solid ground. Although it was also covered in roots and vines, after a bit of careful chopping, Benero and Zenero had created a space large enough for the members of Tantalus to all sit, provided they were slightly hunched, and kept their legs crossed.

"Aw, finally!" Ruby exclaimed as she was able to sit, wiping at her sweaty forehead. "But... Ugh!"

"I _know._" Marcus held his nose. "That really is bad, man. Whoever it was must have died when the Iifa Tree went nuts. You couldn't smell that bad after just a few days."

"Then... It might be Kuja?" Cinna inquired hopefully. Marcus shrugged.

"Hopefully." He sighed. "I know we shouldn't wish death on anyone, but..."

"Ah, he was a bastard." Baku waved his hand dismissively. "He deserved it."

"I don't know." Blank said quietly, looking down at his hands. "Zidane must have seen something in him if he was willing to risk his life to save him."

"Mebbe." Baku shrugged. "But you always said Blank, he loved to play the hero."

"Yeah, but the real hero would have stayed with the Queen." Blank pointed out. "Well, a storybook hero would."

"The real hero would try to save everyone he could." Marcus sighed. "For the good of others, not personal gain."

"Saving Kuja isn't for the good of others, though." Cinna pointed out. "Or were you asleep when he knocked the crap out of Lindblum?"

"True, true." Marcus agreed. "But Zidane would have had a reason for doing this. We just don't know what it is."

"Well, we can ask him when we find him." There was a tone of finality to Baku's voice, implying the conversation was over. "We should keep moving. I don't like being down here."

"Nobody likes being down here." Cinna muttered. "But what are we gonna do?"

"Well..." Baku licked a finger, and then held it in the air. "Hmm. That way!" He pointed straight ahead. "Benero and Zenero take a short break, then help us. We're gonna cut our way to the source if it kills us... Figuratively!" He added defensively, noting the looks on his teammates faces. "My declaration still stands. The moment, we are in serious danger, we're all leaving. It 'aint a suicide mission."

"And _this_ 'aint suicide?" Ruby watched as the others began to tiredly attack at the tree vines.

"Cheer up, Ruby." Baku said. "It could be worse. The ground we're on could collapse and we could fall for miles and miles. Bwahaha!"

"That's not funny." She muttered in protest, arms crossed. The lantern was at her side, and she watched the group of bandits intently, simmering with a strange sense of pride. Clearly, they were all exhausted, broken down from little food, poor sleep, and hard labour, but sheer determination, and loyalty for their own was what fuelled them. Ruby knew that they could complain all that they liked, but no one in Tantalus was going to leave the Tree without Zidane, no matter how long, or how hard, they would be working for. Ruby wondered if hunters, or soldiers, shared such a sense of brotherhood. Would the Knights of Pluto fight so desperately for one of their own? Somehow, she doubted it.

"Woa!" Blank, who was the furthest ahead, cried out as he hit the edge of the ledge that they rested upon. Thinking it would be more of the platform of roots and dirt, Blank put his foot down, but there was no resistance, and he was flung forward, and indeed, would have fallen, were it not for the firm grip Marcus and Cinna had on his arms, rushing to his aid.

"Well." Baku's hands were on his hips. "Looks like we've hit a snag indeed." Blank backed away from the edge, shaking. "Everyone, get back." He barked, worry evident in his voice. "Well this is great."

"What the hell do we do now?" Blank stared at the deep, cavernous pit wide-eyed. "There's no way that we can cut through there, not without some sort of... I don't know..."

"We could make a bridge." Baku suggested. "Some of these vines here are pretty strong. If we managed to build one and sneak it through, we could get in, no sweat, I know it."

"... Boss, I think we have to admit defeat." Blank said weakly, sitting down on the ground. "There's no way that we can get to him, wherever he is. This is getting way too dangerous."

"Nah." Baku brushed away Blanks very real concerns with a shrug. "This is fine. Come on, if Blank is going to sit and mope then Cinna and Marcus, you start getting as those creeping roots up there. Make them as long as you can, we don't know exactly how far across this pit thing goes."

"Blank." Ruby knelt and rested a hand on his shoulder, as the others bustled around them. "Yer okay?"

"No." Blank swallowed, his hands shaking slightly. "I'm... Ruby, this is getting ridiculous. How far is it going to go before we have to say stop, and turn back? I-I mean, we're in danger of never returning as it is now, if we get lost-"

"Then don' think 'bout that." Ruby said simply. She had regained much of her confidence as time progressed, especially as she was resting on solid ground. "We're all gonna get out okay. Everyone." She gave Blank a brief, comforting hug. "It'll be all good, okay?"

"I wish it would be." Blank mumbled weakly.

* * *

"Okay, who first?"

"... I'll go." Marcus announced, clutching at the lamp, his own heart pounding. It was his turn to lead. Baku nodded impassively, and Marcus returned the gesture, standing rather anxiously on the edge of the makeshift bridge. "Aw, crap."

"It's okay." Baku finished tying the knot around Marcus' waist. "We've all got you so if it falls, then you're not gonna fall."

"Unless you smack into the side of the cliff wall." Cinna remarked, before receiving a hard thwack on the head. "Ow!"

"Thanks Cinna." Marcus muttered, before taking another tiny step forward. "Well... Here goes nothing." Slowly, almost doubled over, Marcus began to walk, the lamp in one hand, his sword in the other. Eventually, he was forced to crawl, on his hands and his knees, until, finally, it seemed, the lamp handing from his mouth, sword re-sheathed, his hands came into contact with grass. "... Huh." He let out a snort. "That was a let down." The distance was six feet, if that. However, the smell was much worse, and Marcus held a hand over his mouth, swallowing deeply. It _really_ stunk here.

"Hello?" Marcus whispered, holding the lamp at his eye-level, trying to peer through the vines. He thought he could see something... He reached his hand out, snaked through the green tendrils, and tried to flatten them down, so he could just see what it was he was looking at...

A flash of white. Marcus' eyes widened, and he leaned forward expectantly, holding the lantern closer, trying to see through the gloom. True, it was almost completely concealed in shadow, but Marcus managed a glimpse of pure white hair, and the sleeve of a long snowy robe.

Kuja.

Marcus breathed a sigh, both relieved, and disappointed. Relieved that it wasn't Zidane, that there was still hope, no matter how slim, but yet disappointed that the search wasn't over, the tension and exhaustion was not yet through.

"It's not him!" Marcus called back to the rest. "It's Kuja!" There was a collective sigh of relief amongst the others, and Marcus started to head back to the tiny makeshift bridge. "What's he's on is tiny." Marcus reported as he crawled, then walked, bent-over, back to the others. "I don't think Zidane would be there."

"But he would be with Kuja, wouldn't he? If he got to the tree as fast as Blank said he did, then he would here? Where is he?" Cinna protested.

"I don't know." Baku mumbled. "But it looks like we're back where we started." Marcus untied the knot from his waist, and sat down with a long sigh. "We're still somewhere in the right area, if we go back to the outer part of the tree, maybe we can stand up and..."

Blank, who had tuned out some time before, suddenly froze as a terrible thought came to him. Slowly, his hands trembling, he stood up, and shakily walked the few steps to the edge of the small area they were all standing on. Letting out a deep, long breath, Blank peered over the edge, and into the deep cavern of total blackness, the bottom of his stomach dropping another inch.

"Blank?" Ruby asked. "Whut yer... _no..."_

"The impact of the crash could have thrown him." The voice that issued from his throat was monotonous, lifeless. "He wasn't crushed by the vines after all. He..." Blanks voice died, and he sank to his knees, head in his hands.

"We have to go back." Cinna murmured. "We... Boss, we can't go down there. It's too far, and we can't even climb, not with the little rope we have. It's too dangerous."

"... Yeah." In the last few seconds, Baku appeared to have aged a good twenty years. Slowly, he stood up, groaning, his shoulders hunched. "C'mon everybody... We tried." The others followed suit, all hauling themselves to their feet, with soft mumbles and groans among them, save for Blank, who still kneeled at the side of the sheer drop, his head bowed.

"Wait!" Ruby stood up, her hands on her hips. "Y'all jus' hold yer horses there!"

"Ruby." Baku sighed tiredly. "It's over. We can't go on."

"Why, yes we can." She said resolutely, her hands still on her hips. "Tha state of yer all!" She looked them all over, tired, defeated, worn down. All hope snuffed out. She couldn't bear to look at Blank. "Now, I know we're tired, and broken down, but we can't let this stop us." She looked over at Baku, a pleading look in her eyes. "Please. Just two days. We got plen'y of food and water ta last us. Two days and if we 'aint at the bottom, then that's it, we're done."

"Ruby..."

"You can't be serious..."

"What if we get lost?" Marcus asked. "Huh? What do we do then?"

"We'll mark our way as we go." Ruby countered quickly. "I know we can make it."

"That fall must be miles down." Cinna argued. "He'll be dead."

"I thought we all gathered he was dead a long time ago." Ruby replied. "C'mon, Cinna. He'd do it for yer, yer know it."

"... I know." Cinna's shoulders slumped. "Goddamn it... All right."

"Great!" Ruby grinned widely, her hands clasped together. "Come on guys, Cinna's on, whut about yer?"

"... Oh, what the heck." Marcus sighed. "We've come this far."

"All right." Baku clapped Ruby on the back. "Bwahahaha! If I knew you were so stubborn, I woulda dragged you 'round more places!"

"We'll go with the boss!"

"Yeah we will!" The Nero brothers were on board.

"Blank?" Ruby walked towards the man, and crouched down behind him, resting her hand on his shoulder. "... Please. I know there's no chance of 'im bein' alive, but we can' just' leave 'im down here like this, can we?" Blanks shoulders were shaking, but eventually, he wiped hurriedly at his nose and eyes, before nodding weakly.

"You're right, we can't." He said softly, his hopes feeling just a little lighter.

* * *

They rested, for a long while, before setting out, talking in a circle around one of the lanterns and passing around Ruby's vegetable mix, eating straight from the tightly-woven sugar-sack she had pushed it into with their fingers. Then, they slept, for over nine hours, huddled together like a litter of puppies for warmth and security. Baku had the troupe awake as soon as he got up, and by four the next morning, they were on their way, in single file, heading not straight ahead, but this time to the right. Baku's gamble paid off, and they soon found a large trunk or root that was easy to climb down. They did not know that it was the one Zidane climbed _up_ eleven days before. After that, they noticed, the web of vines had become far less dense. They were heading down, very deep underground, miles below the surface. Baku drew a map as they went, so they didn't get lost, although he sparred with Blank frequently over its' accuracy. Claustrophobia was setting in on everybody, but as Marcus once pointed out cheerfully "It's just like caving, but with more nature." Although personally, he had found the Gargan Roo a little easier to handle.

The second night since the departure, they got less sleep. Baku himself was up the whole night, sitting by himself, and those that awoke from fitful naps didn't dare to question him. He looked... Sad. An emotion Tantalus rarely saw in their great leader.

The next day, the mood was gloomier. The momentum was wearing off, and even Ruby was beginning to wish that it had been called quits back at the site of Kuja's body. However, it was grim determination that kept them going, weaving their way through tree roots in single rile, along deep, spiralling paths, that was taking them to among the deepest places in the earth.

"We could be like, explorers." Blank had announced, at the front of the pack, holding a lantern. "Tantalus, the band of great explorers! Fearless and handsome, they boldly go where no man has gone before. The lowest of lows, the highest of highs!"

"Yeah, yeah." Marcus muttered, feeling none of Blanks' current drive. "Stick to the acting Blank, you were cut out for it... obviously."

"Oh yeah?" Blank lowered his arms, slightly hurt. "Your mother _named_ you Marcus, your role was picked from the start."

"At least my mother named me." Marcus quipped, but in a tone that was not serious. Blank was still hurt, however, and he crossed his arms, not speaking to him again. "Aw, Bro, you know I was kidding. My mother was a cow anyway." Blank, who was still silent, pulled up short in his walk, a frown on his face. "Blank? Look, I'm sorry, I-"

"Marcus, I don't _care_ about that, look!" He pointed at what had caught his attention. A tunnel-like hole was in the side of the tree. To the other side was more of the same they'd been tackling for days. "What do we do?"

"Boss!" Marcus called to Baku, who was a while back. The man came running. "Look at this!"

"Huh." He regarded it in the weak lamplight, a frown on his face.

"Can I go in and have a peek?" Blank turned to the man pleadingly. "Just for a moment?"

"... All right." Baku conceded. "But don't- Hey!" Blank was already inside the tunnel, holding the lamp in front of him.

He didn't know why, but there was something in there, he... almost sensed like. It was like a little voice was in his head, telling him to look there, he had to look there, he couldn't miss it! Oh, please look...

"...Wow." Blank looked up when he realised that he was in a large, cave-like room. It was narrow, but when he looked up, Blank couldn't even see the roof. Although he thought he saw pinpricks of light... He started walking forward slowly, his attention still devoted to the ceiling, when his foot stepped on something that gave an odd 'clink'.

It was something metallic. Blanks' heart skipped a beat, and he bent down, shining his light over what he had stepped on. It was a weapon. With two blue blades, and a dark golden handle. It almost seemed to shine, illuminating even under the weak lamplight... Blank picked it up, eyes widening in surprise. It was very light. But even as he touched it, he swore he could feel it pulsating, like an undercurrent, of power...

He frowned, and examined it further. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to look more like two daggers, placed on end with each other, fused perfectly.

_Zidane fought with a dagger!_

"Hey guys!" Blanks' heart lifted, and he raised the weapon. "I found Zidane's dagger! He's near! He's got to be..."

Blanks voice died in his throat, as he noticed something at the very edge of the small circle of lamplight. It looked kind of like a little fuzzy blonde coloured snake. The weapon in his hand clattered to the ground, and, knees growing weak, Blank walked towards it, daring to hope. With the first step Blank took, more was revealed. Blue trousers, the edge of a waistcoat...

"_Zidane!"_

* * *

Yaaay, crappy suspense xD

I think I used a couple too many scene breaks. Gah, I hate scene breaks, but sometimes, they're just inevitable ToT

Anyways, R&R?


	2. Chapter 2

Hi!

Yeah, it's another update, yay!

Thanks to those who read and reviewed, I was so surprised! I didn't realise I would get so much love xD

Disclaimer: I own nothing here

* * *

"What the..."

Baku froze in the narrow room, unable to believe what he was seeing. Blank had dropped the lamp, although it didn't break, thankfully, and was hunched over the still figure, desperately looking for a sign of life. Baku rushed to Blanks' side the moment comprehension dawned, and he sank to his knees, looking at the figure that lay spread-eagled on the floor.

Zidane looked like a broken, discarded doll that had been put through a blender. His clothes, already ragged at the ends from his travels, were torn almost to ribbons, stained and discoloured with blackened blood. One arm was twisted horribly, in a way that made Baku's stomach turn. His tail, limp, was broken to the point where one could see a white flash of bone through the blood and golden fur. And a head wound, upon his temple, had caked Zidane's face and hair with blood.

"No." Blank withdrew in shock, hands shaking. "Boss... _he's alive."_

"What?" His loud voice boomed, and he pressed his ear against Zidane's chest, listening for a heartbeat. Because his own pulse was thudding so loudly in his ears, it was a moment before he was able to distinguish the faint, slow thump in the blonde's chest.

"O-Oh my..." The others had caught up, and they all gathered on their knees around Zidane in a circle, speechless in their shock.

"He's alive." Blank repeated, aware for the first time that, through the cold, numbing shock, a thrill off pure joy thrummed in his chest. "He's alive!"

"No way." Cinna stared at Zidane's broken arm, and rubbed at his own self-consciously. "But he fell..." He arched his neck upwards. "That far..."

"We have to get him out of here as soon as we can." Baku had apparently recovered from his stupor, and took charge of the situation as usual. "Benero, and Zenero, I want you to go and make a stretcher. I don' care what you make it out of, just get it done and get it strong." The brothers nodded, and were gone a moment later, Benero waving his own small lantern. "Ruby." He turned to the girl. "I want you to go through our stuff, and get me a blanket, some water, and rag if you can."

"Got it!" Ruby stopped to pick up the fallen lantern on the way, then disappeared. Blank blinked rapidly, trying desperately to force down the burning sensation in his eyes.

"This is unbelieveable." Marcus said flatly, He tried to push Zidane's shaggy mop of hair out of his face, but to no avail. "Jeez... How the hell..."

"I don't know." Blank stared down at the broken figure. "I don't bloody know..."

"Thank god Ruby persuaded us to keep going." Cinna pointed out, his face ashen. "If we'd turned back..."

"I got it!" Ruby kneeled beside Baku, pressing the supplies onto him with trembling hands.

"Thanks." Baku touched Zidane's good arm, and, just as he feared, the skin was freezing. "Cinna," He ordered. "Get some water on that rag and try to clean the blood off his head."

"Got it." Cinna poured the water on the rag, spilling a little on his clothing in his eagerness. While he did so, Baku covered Zidane with the blanket, in an effort to keep him warm. "Bloody hell, it looks awful." Cinna wiped at his forehead, in an effort to clean the blood. "This is really, really bad." He pushed Zidane's hair back, exposing his bloodied temple.

"... What do we do now." Blank stared down at his knees. "Can we get him out in time before..."

"We have to clean up his wounds and bandage them." Baku stared down at Zidane thoughtfully. "And keep him warm and watered." He looked at Marcus. "Hold his head up for me, will ya?" Marcus nodded, and did so, watching as Baku gently forced Zidane's mouth open, and poured a little water from the flask past his lips. The blonde coughed, from reflexes, not consciousness, the water spilling over his chin. "Damnit." Baku tried again, this time using just a few drops of water, forcing Zidane's mouth shut, and massaging lightly at his throat to coax him to swallow. "Keep doing that." He instructed to Ruby, handing him the flask. He stood up with a low groan, his knees creaking, and took Ruby's lantern, giving Blank a comforting pat on the shoulder as he walked back to where the others had dumped their packs, rifling through their contents until he found what he was looking for, a few rolls of bandages.

"Here we go." Baku returned to the others, sinking once more to his knees. "Wrap his head up." He threw a couple of bandages at Marcus, before turning his attention to Zidane's partially crushed tail. He could do little more than wrap a wadded bandage around it as tightly as he could, and then turned his attention to Zidane's arm. He lifted it gently, out from under the blanket, and examined it underneath the weak lamplight. Ruby winced, and turned her face away as Baku tried to straighten out the arm. "I think it's just dislocated... But I'm not touchin' it until a doctor looks at it. We could screw it up permanently." He pulled back the blanket, and folded the currently useless arm against Zidane's chest.

"Boss!" Benero and Zenero rejoined the group, holding a stretcher between them, made of strong tree roots, relatively straight, and one of their blankets. "We made it for you!"

"Excellent. Put it down." Baku ordered. "Now back, everyone, get back." His loyal troupe obeyed, and with the utmost care, Baku placed one arm under Zidane's shoulder, the other his knees, and lifted him, setting him down on the stretcher. He tucked the blanket back under Zidane, then relaxed on the balls of his feet with a sigh. "Time to get going. We might have to put another blanker on him, if he doesn't warm up quickly. God, I don't know how to look after people, I'm not a doctor..."

"It's all right." Cinna reassured his leader. "You're doing great. Marcus and I will carry Zidane, won't we?"

"Sure." Marcus nodded, bending down and grasping the handles of the stretcher at the tail end.

"Bwahahaha!" Baku clapped Cinna on the back with excessive force, unable to stop his chuckling. "What would I do without you, huh? All right, let's get going."

"Great." Cinna lifted the stretcher in sync with Marcus. "Let's start heading back up." The others followed, Benero and Zenero collecting the water and supplies before repacking them.

"Blank." Ruby stopped Blank, who had bent down to pick up Zidane's weapon. The dark-haired man froze, then relaxed, her hand on his shoulder comforting. "Yer doin' okay?"

Blank nodded soundlessly, his hands tightening on the synthesized daggers. "I'm better." He gave Ruby a small smile, then turned away, heading towards the others. "Don't worry about me no more. Worry about him."

"... Yeah." Ruby rubbed tiredly at her eyes. "Trust me, I am..."

* * *

A long time passed.

In reality, it couldn't have been more than three days, but for Tantalus, it felt like a lifetime. Twenty-four hours around the clock, someone was at Zidane's side, checking his temperature, his injuries, his hydration. Going uphill for hours and hours was back-breaking, and demoralizing work, and left them exhausted. And as Ruby was running low on food and water, they had to be careful about their rations, and, as a result, the time they spent hiking suffered.

But no one could deny the fact that the mood was so much lighter than the trip down. Jokes were shared, smiles and laughs experienced. Everybody knew that the danger was still very real – Zidane himself was inches from death, never waking, never even moving, but the simple fact was that he was _alive._ The man they had worked so hard to rescue was in their hands, and his life was still responsibility. To have him die now, after everything they had risked, and done for him, was an inconceivably horrible thought. So they tried their hardest, with their limited medical knowledge and supplies, but all knew it was failing. Zidane looked unhealthier than he ever had, his usually tan skin a sickly white, and he was looking thinner and thinner, even in the few days they cared for him in the Iifa Tree. So they pushed on harder, even skipping meals in their desperate attempt to get Zidane out of the tree and to help as soon as they could. Finally, on the third morning, they managed to drag themselves to the resting place of Kuja. Marcus had suggested, briefly, the possibility of taking Kuja as well, but Baku wouldn't hear of it. As far as he was concerned, Kuja was the reason for Zidane's departure and (possible) death, and deserved nothing more than to rot inside the tree.

When Ruby finally felt sunlight on her face, for the first time in almost a week, she cried, a little. To breathe fresh air and feel the breeze on her face was almost a luxury she'd forgotten she'd had. The others were just the same. Indeed, Cinna lay down on the ground, and proclaimed that he wasn't moving until he'd soaked up the sun for at least an hour. A swift kick from Baku's end soon put paid to that notion, however. It was Blank, the only one who knew how to commandeer a ship by himself, who had ran ahead, and brought the airship as close as he possibly could to the entrance to the outside world, and was able to –carefully- transfer Zidane to one of the bunks inside, and with Ruby watching over him carefully, the others all gathered in the bridge, putting their heads together in an attempt to formulate a plan.

"Conde Petie." Baku was firm. "It's a day at least to Alexandria and two to Lindblum. And... I'm not sure if going straight there is a good idea."

"The doctors in Alexandria will be excellent though." Cinna argued. "The ones in Conde Petie are just... dwarves."

"They know more than you think." Blank said gently. "And you forget, Alexandria is still pretty much ruined after what happened with Bahamut. I'm not sure they would have the resources and people to look after Zidane."

"We can just go to Conde Petie for now." Marcus suggested. "He needs to be treated for his immediate injuries, the patch job we've done is pretty crap. It's... Blank, how far away are we?"

"Like, five minutes." Blank peered out the viewing window. "See, you can see it right there."

"Conde Petie." Cinna agreed with the other three, albeit a little reluctantly.

* * *

"Are you tired from the walk?"

"No, Mr. 87." The Genome shook his head obediently. "I am fine, thank you."

"That's... Great." He shot him a strange look, then sighed dismally. True, it had only been three weeks since the genomes were introduced to the Black Mage Village, but the Mages all felt as though they still hadn't learned a thing. Even Mikoto was slow to catch on to Gaian concepts, even those as simple as money and trade. It was why, every day, The Mages decided to take a different Genome with them, and give them a small tour on the way to Conde Petie, the forests, Madain Sari, and of course, the dwarfish village itself. And every time, the Genomes just too it in with a quiet look on their face, as though they perhaps may have wanted to understand, but just weren't entirely sure how.

"Rally ho!" Harold saluted the Black Mage its' blonde follower.

"Rally ho!" Mr. 87 nodded.

"R-Rally ho?" The male Genome blinked, turning to Mr. 87. Did he do it right?

"Welcome t' Conde Petie!" The Dwarf gave the pair a flourish, who entered the tiny village.

"The people here look strange." The Genome noted in his blank voice.

"They're dwarves." Mr. 87 explained. "They live here because it is the best place for them to receive the sun, moon, wind and rain. So they say. And because it is so close to the Iifa Tree, or as it called, the Sanctuary." At the mention of the Iifa Tree, something in the Genome's face tightened, and he looked away. "Lets' just... go to the store." He signalled left, and guided the male across the strong bridge, which served as a pathway to the store which the Mages traded with.

"Rally-ho! Ah, 'ello ye pyntie-hets!" Wendy beamed. "An' What kin I be doin' fer yer?"

"Just-" The mage was cut short by a commotion coming from the hallway into the store. The Genome blinked in surprise at the noise, and before either could react, a group of strange-looking people, had burst into the store, three of them carrying a stretcher between them.

"What's that?" The Genome inquired as they bustled past, and left, not paying the pair any attention. "Mr. 87?"

"I'm not sure." The Mage frowned. "Wendy? Who were they?"

"Ah, it be t' travellers in t' Sanctuary." She shook her head. "We told 'em of t' dangers that pass, and they dinnae listen..."

"They were at the Iifa tree?" The Genome spoke up, confusion on his face. Wendy nodded, and before Mr. 87 had a chance to stop him, the Genome turned and ran to catch up with the group, who had stopped outside a door leading off from the Inn.

"God, I hope we're not too late." A dark-haired man in brown clothing bend over double, his hands on his knees.

"Blank, we tried our best." A blonde girl rested her hand on his shoulder. "Whut else can yer do?"

"Ruby's right." A man in a red bandana muttered. "We've done all we can for Zidane."

_Zidane?_

The Genome frowned, and slowly approached the group of people, who were still too involved with their own thoughts to notice him.

"Hello?" The male Genome spoke up. "Was Zidane the one you rescued from the Iifa Tree?"

"Yeah, who..." It was Cinna who first noticed the Genome, and was able to take in his appearance. "Holy crap." The slight build, face structure, hair and tail... It screamed Zidane, all over. _Is this part of Zidane's... People?_ "Guys..." He froze, mouth open and hands unclenched at his sides. "Look..."

"Whoa!" Ruby's eyes widened at the sight of the Genome who stood a few feet away from them, a rather blank look on his face. "What in tarnation is goin' on 'ere?"

"There you are!" Mr. 87 caught up with the Genome, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, we have to- oh?" He finally caught sight of the members of Tantalus, who were standing in complete shock at the Genome who looked so much like their fallen comrade. "Who are you?"

"We're Tantalus." Marcus scowled, hands on his hips. "We're a theatre troupe in Lindblum. Which you helped _destroy, _by the way-"

"Marcus!" Ruby stopped the man. "Don't yer be so rude now!"

"We're Vivi's friends." Blank got up from off the wall, noting how the Mage relaxed visibly. "I thought you might know him."

"Oh, yes." The mage nodded. "It was Vivi who suggested that the Genomes stay with us in our village."

"Genomes?" Marcus frowned. "Is that what... They are?" He gestured to the blonde man, who merely kept his gaze on his shoes. The petty things the others announced were of no concern to him. "Why do they look like Zidane?"

"I... You do not know?" Mr. 87 was quite surprised. "Vivi told Mr. 288 as soon as he could... You are friends of Zidane?"

"He's a member of our troupe." Cinna's hands were on his hips, and he paused, hanging his head a little. "Was..."

"Is he..."

"No, he's alive, thank god." Marcus rubbed at his eyes. "For now. He's in the room there." He jerked his head. "With our boss and the doctor."

"What about Kuja." The Genome spoke up again, his sea-green eyes focusing on Marcus. "Is he..."

"Died." Marcus said gruffly. "And good riddance to bad rubbish, I say. We left him in the tree."

"He shouldn't be left there." Mr. 87 stared at the Genome in surprise. "He deserves better..." It was the first ever piece of individual thought and speech that had come out of the Genome's mouth.

"After what he did?" Blanks' voice was poisonous. "Almost destroying the world? Laying waste to our homes? Almost _killing_ our friend?" His hands were clenched into fists. "I just hope he suffered before he died."

"Blank!" Ruby argued the man, but Blank turned, and pushed the door open inside the doctors' room, stepping over the threshold. He walked towards the bed slowly, the others' in the room not yet noticing his presence.

"Hey." He finally spoke up softly, his hands on the railing at the end of the bed. Baku jumped from the stool at Zidane's bedside, and shook his head, before looking up at Blank. "He's doing better?"

"Hardly." Baku muttered. "The doctor," He jerked his head over to a stone sink, where the doctor was rinsing liberal amounts of blood from his hands. "Said he was very, very lucky to be alive. The damage is worse than we thought Blank, way worse."

"How much worse?" Marcus called from the doorway, before entering the room. Baku sighed, and rested an elbow on the bed beside Zidane, his chin on a balled hand. No one could bear to look at the thin figure underneath the white sheets, bundled in bandages.

"His arm was broken in two places." Baku said dully, half-wishing this was a horrible dream. "Four ribs are cracked, his collarbone is fractured, as well as his eye-socket." Marcus winced. "He crushed two bones in his tail, and..." Baku let out a sigh. "He thinks there might be something wrong with Zidane's back."

"God." Blank sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his hands. "Could it get any worse?"

"Well, if he doesn't eat immediately, his body will be too weak to fight and keep going, But the doctor knows how to feed 'im with a tube." Baku sighed. "And he doesn't know how to fix Zidane's head."

"Oh no." Ruby held her hand over her mouth, her face crumpling. "Whut do we do?"

"I cannae fix 'im in the noggin." The doctor joined the others, wiping her hands, concern evident on his face. "Ye best be takin' 'im t'the others in t' Mist Con'inen' quick-smart."

"We're going to do that." Baku agreed, standing up. "And we thank you a lot for helping us to patch him up for us."

"Glad ta help ye!" The doctor shook Baku's hand with a smile. "Good ta see t' lad alive."

"You're not kidding." Blank muttered, looking at Zidane for a brief moment. "So we'll head to Lindblum, and-"

"No." Baku groaned. "We can't. It's a two-day trip and I'm just not sure that he can handle the journey."

"We dragged him out of the Iifa tree okay." Cinna argued. "The place may be in ruins, but there will be someone there to help him. He's the goddamn hero that saved the world, remember?"

"We have several Mages in our village who have researched extensively on healing and medicine." Mr. 87 offered. "If you are wanting to keep Zidane close by until he is ready to travel..."

"... Can we do that?" Marcus looked up at Baku. "Getting Zidane out of the tree was really risky... He almost died."

"... I know." Baku groaned, sitting back down on the stool beside Zidane's bed. "It's not a good idea, those airships move around a lot, especially when we land... A long journey might be really harmful." He looked at Marcus and Cinna. "No?"

"... I think the best doctors are in Lindblum." Cinna argued. "If we're careful, we can handle getting him there. But..." He shrugged. "It's up to you."

"... Do what you think will get Zidane better." Blank muttered softly. "You're the boss."

"... Okay." It was a full minute before he stood up, hands on hips. "We're going to the Village. You can show us, right?"

"I certainly can." The Mage nodded, then gave a short bow.

* * *

"Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Vivi set down the metal contraption, and cocked his head to one side, before shooting Mikoto a glance. "Yeah... I sorta do..."

"It's an airship!" She stood up, and ran across the small room, wrenching open the front door. "I wonder who it is..." Mikoto's heart fluttered a little, in a bold dare to hope...

"It's from Lindblum!" Vivi explained, watching as the airship set down in the forest clearing, a short distance away. "I'd recognize one of their ships any day!"

"Vivi, wait!" Mikoto pleaded as the little mage broke into an excited run, plunging into the forest, ducking and dodging the thick tree trunks and low branches. "It might just be a trading ship or a delivery, we don't..." She stopped as she approached the little clearing, catching her breath. Vivi just stood slightly in front of her, staring solemnly as the gangplank of the airship slowly swung down onto the ground. The first to depart from the ship was a man Mikoto failed to recognize, quite short, a dark-haired man in brown clothing.

"Blank!" Vivi, however, knew exactly who the strange character was, and sped towards the man at top speed, tripping over a log in his excitement, but clamouring back up again eagerly, approaching the man. "What are you doing here?"

"Aw, Vivi." If the mage had hair, Blank would have ruffled it. "Well, let's just say that due to our current circumstances, travel to Lindblum would be near impossible with our... special guest on board."

"... What...?" Vivi gasped as Blank stepped aside, barely able to believe what the bandit was insinuating. It was Cinna and Marcus who were next, squabbling amongst themselves as normal. However, Vivi paid no attention to them, his eyes fixed on the stretcher they carried, and the almost unrecognizable figure inside it. All that Vivi could link to Zidane was the brief glimpse of golden hair that wasn't swathed in bandages. "_No!"_

"He's alive." Blank nodded, looking oddly grim. "We were just in time, but-"

"Zidane?!" Vivi rushed towards the stretcher, standing on tip-toe. "Zidane, are you all right? What-"

"He's unconscious." Vivi stilled at the sensation of Blanks' hand on his shoulder, then sighed, and nodded despondently. "Been completely out of it ever since we found him. But he's going to be all right." He squeezed Vivi's shoulder reassuringly. "You all right?"

"Uhuh." Vivi nodded, then straightened his hat. "I knew he was alive." He looked up at Blank.

"You did?" Blank and Vivi followed the others, who were being led by Mr. 87. "How?"

"I know you think I was just hoping, like everyone else." Vivi sighed. "But Mikoto agrees with me too."

"Mikoto?"

"Yes?" Blank blinked, and spun around to see a girl standing next to him, a hand on her hip. "What?"

"I... Never mind." Blank shook his head. "Not like you'll understand." He muttered in an undertone, continuing to follow the others. It was a cruel thing to say, but Blank didn't understand that Mikoto was, aside from Zidane, the sole Genome with a mind and soul of her own, and after spending even just the short airship trip to the village with that horribly blank lookalike of Zidane, Blank was both terrified and disgusted. What was _wrong_ with him? And to learn from the Mage that they were all the same...

"... That's not completely true." Mikoto murmured to herself, now all alone in the clearing. "I understand more than you think." She sighed deeply, and rubbed at her eyes. She was relieved, so relieved, that Zidane had been found alive, although not exactly well, and at the same time, the look on the Genome's face told her about Kuja's fate. Strange. She didn't know how exactly to feel about his death – it was inevitable, of course, he was always going to die, most likely in the circumstances he did, but all the same, it was still... upsetting?

_I feel wrong for being sad – he's caused so much pain. He tried to destroy everything. And he killed Garland. If it was for the Terrans', then I would understand, but it wasn't. By that point, he didn't care about us at all. He just wanted to destroy everything. But then again, he was almost like a brother of mine. He was, really. Is. I can't be happy my brother is dead... But he saved them all. He did the most admirable thing, in the end. _

_Why did I have to have feelings!_ Mikoto groaned, head in her hands. _This is so ridiculous. I didn't have to worry about things like this in Terra. Just a few short weeks ago, life was so much simpler. I didn't have any liking towards Gaians. All I cared about was the assimilation of souls. But now Terra is destroyed and we're all refugees here... _

_I could do it again, of course. Build a new machine... But strange thing is, I don't have any desire too. When I see this new world of thousands and thousands of different souls... It's so strange and new._

"Mikoto?" The blonde jumped to see Vivi standing behind her, looking confused. "You coming?"

"... Yeah, I should." Mikoto nodded, and forced a smile. "What did you learn?"

"That he's really bad." Vivi's shoulders slumped. "They still don't know if he's going to make it... but the Mages are gonna do all they can. They're very grateful for what he's done for them." He cheered up a little, as they started to walk back. "I knew he was gonna be okay." He repeated, nodding to emphasise his point.

"Yeah." Mikoto nodded, following Vivi as they wound through the village houses to the Inn, which would become a makeshift hospital. "You never gave up hope, did you?"

"Mikoto, it wasn't hope." He pleaded. "I really did know he was going to be fine."

"I know." Mikoto followed as Vivi pushed open the inn door. "I knew he was alive too. Just very... Hi?"

"You!" Mikoto gasped as Baku approached her. "You're the one?"

"I am?" Mikoto gave Vivi a frightened look.

"You're Mikoto?" Cinna asked. The entire group was in the inn, the Mages requesting they be left alone whilst they attempted their best on Zidane.

"... Oh!" Mikoto nodded, slightly relieved. "Yeah. The one that can talk and all that."

"... Why is it just you?" Blank asked quietly, a look of deep concern on his face. "Everyone else we passed just looked so awfully... vacant."

"It's how they were made." Mikoto sighed, leaning against the wall. "Only a select few were actually given the ability to think independently."

"Made?" Marcus' eyes widened in alarm. "What do you mean, made?"

"I mean..." Mikoto ran her hands through her hair, fighting back a groan. "I'm not sure I should tell you about this. It's Zidane's life, not mine. It's not my descision."

"No way." Baku stepped in, making the most of his height over the Genome. "Girl, I've raised that kid since he came up to my knee. For twelve damn years I've watched out for him. I think I deserve to know where the hell he came from."

"What he means to say," Cinna rescued the head bandit. "Is that Zidane's been desperate to know about his birthplace and parents for as long as he can remember. Trust me; he would want us to know."

"Twelve years?" Mikoto paused with a frown. "Wow. You must have..." She looked over at Vivi, who gave her a short nod. He knew, of course, of Zidane's origins, and clearly thought that his brothers at Tantalus completely deserved to know. "Okay." She wrung her hands a little as she spoke, feeling a little nervous.

"Well... Terra is, if you didn't know, a completely different planet, really unlike Gaia. It's also very old. I won't give you the boring details, but there's this old man, Garland, who's mission was to assimilate the souls of Gaia and Terra, to create them as one and therefore, Terra could be saved from decline. In order to do this, he needed to create an angel of death, to cause havoc and destruction on Gaia, making way for Garland to continue his plan. Twenty-four years ago, he created Kuja. He turned out to be a reject, and too outwardly powerful, so six years later, he... Made Zidane." There was a collective silence around the room.

"... Holy crap." Cinna finally murmured, stunned. "He... Was _made_ to destroy Gaia?"

"Nah." Baku shook his head. "Not Zidane. There's... He's not capable of anything like that."

"He is." Mikoto argued. "But let me finish. When Kuja found out that Zidane wasn't just back-up, he was to be Kuja's replacement, he went beserk. Garland said he destroyed half of the castle, before taking Zidane and leaving the planet, coming here." Baku was listening intently, a thoughtful frown on his face. "Kuja wanted to kill Zidane, so he dumped him in the ocean, from thousands of feet up. Well, that's what he told Garland. And until he came back just recently, it was the last Terra ever saw of Zidane."

"... He was six, wasn't he." Baku muttered, his arms folded.

"Yeah..." Mikoto nodded. "Why?"

"I found him." Baku straightened up with a sigh. "On the docks at Lindblum. At first I thought it was some sort of drowned animal, floating on a log... Didn't realise it was a kid until I picked him up."

"And he stayed with you ever since?" Mikoto enquired, never knowing about what actually happened to Zidane in those twelve years.

"Well, he left a couple of times in a huff to find his family, but pretty much, yeah." Baku agreed. "Who do you think taught him everything he knew?"

"Zidane's been in Tantalus longer than everyone 'scept Baku." Marcus said. "I'd been in since I was sixteen... So's Cinna. Blank was a bit younger, and Ruby only joined a couple of years ago after running away to be an actress."

"It worked!" Ruby retorted, hands on her hips. "At leas' I 'ain runnin' around _thieving_ like yer all!"

"Yeah, but you never minded the money, did you?" Cinna shot back. "Spending it all on clothes."

"Yeah, 'cos I buy _costumes_, unlike yer with yer rags-"

"Hey, I keep these in good condition!"

"Yeah, Cinna, but Ruby's right. You could do with a new pair of boots."

"Says the man who's worn the same bandana for six years!"

"Blank, don't get me _started-"_

"Guys, Guys!" Baku stepped in, arms held up. "Calm frigging down. I can't believe you won't stop fighting..."

"I think we've been together too much." Cinna commented. "All the stress."

"You reckon?" Blank shrugged. "Ah well. Say boss, any chance of grub around here?"

"I know where the food store is." Vivi offered. "Do you want me to take you there?"

"Sounds good!" Marcus agreed emphatically, his stomach whining. "We haven't had a proper meal in days..."

"All right then, follow me!" The little Mage led the way out of the Inn, and the troupe followed – that is, except for Baku, who still stood, leaning against the wall, a frown on his face.

"You're not hungry?" Mikoto ventured carefully. Baku shook his head, and sighed, stomping across the room to a low stool, which he took a seat on.

"The kids' been through a lot." Baku finally muttered, after a long period of silence. "I knew something was wrong when I first found him. It was like a savage dog, which had been kicked too many times. He just had this raw violence in him and I didn't know why..."

"Kuja would have hurt him." Mikoto's heart... hurt. "In his anger... It's something he would do."

"... But he was a kid." Baku said slowly. "A little defenceless kid... Who the hell picks a fight with someone who can't fight back?"

"Zidane survived falling in the ocean." Mikoto pointed out. "And not only that, he managed to make it to shore. He wasn't weak."

"I know that." Baku sighed. "I know. I just..." He ran a hand over his eyes. "Sorry for puttin' this on you. I shouldn't."

"He's my brother, Baku. It's okay." The altered Genome gave Baku a weak smile. "I want to know about when he was little. How old was he when he first learn to fight? When did he run away?" It was so _strange_. Now that she finally had something she could identify with, someone who was like herself for the first time ever, Mikoto felt greedy, almost, for knowledge, to know as much about Zidane as she could. Especially if he was to...

"Uh..." Baku screwed up his face in thought. "Well... When he was... eight, I think, he went with me and my crew on a mission to Treno. We were supposed to perform this play, and Zidane was going to rob the patrons' mansion while we kept him occupied. It was a big place, full of guards, but he was little and fast, and more than that, he really wanted to prove himself, show he was one of the boys and all that. So anyways, we're performing, and Zidane's making off with one of the sweetest hauls we've had in ages, and we'd finished, when we hear this weird yelling in the grounds. Their guards investigated, but my men and I got their first."

"What was it?" Mikoto asked, entranced. "What happened?"

"Zidane was almost over the walls, when the nobleman's best defense system kicked in." He should his head. "Fangs." Mikoto gave him a quizzical look. "They're like dogs, but way bigger and nastier. And this one was a big one. I mean, twice the size of me. It turns out he had Zidane cornered, and the little bugger managed to jump on his back, and stab him in the neck with a dagger he'd stolen." He smiled a little in remembrance. "When we found him, he was covered in blood, and shaking. We thought that he'd been mauled or something, until we saw the Fang... Man, Zidane got him a beaut. He realised he couldn't beat him with strength, so he used agility and speed. Clever kid, huh?"

"And he was only eight?" Mikoto was impressed. When she was eight, there was no way she was up to fighting anything or anyone. She was still stuck inside Pandemonium, always at Garlands' side, as he lectured and taught for hours at a time on assimilation and souls and Terra...

"Yep. Only got a bite on the shoulder. Quite nasty though, he could have gotten his arm ripped off." Baku fell silent, brooding. There was of course, what happened after, a memory so private, he didn't dare share with anyone. How Zidane flew at Baku, wrapping his tiny arms around his knees, begging and pleading for him to never leave him alone again.

"Did you realise then that he was... Special?" Mikoto supplied rather tactfully. I mean, it's not every kid that can beat a wild animal with a weapon."

"... I kinda figured." Baku sighed. "He wanted to learn with the dagger the moment we returned to Lindblum. Demanded, all right. He'd had his taste for fighting, and wanted more. By the time he was ten, he could disarm me... Yeah, no ordinary kid can do that."

"... Why did he run away?" Mikoto asked after a moments' silence. "When?" She looked over at Baku, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Oh, that." Baku shook his head, chuckling. "It was really inevitable. It happened when he was about twelve. Maybe he was thirteen. Anyways, it was when he started getting interested in girls. And I had to give him 'the talk'."

"The... Talk?" Mioto tilted her head to one side. "I don't understand..."

"You know, where babies come from and all that." Baku groaned. "Well, Zidane got all embarrassed and didn't want to hear it, no matter how hard I tried to talk to him. I said it was the job of the father to tell his son that, and Zidane protested I wasn't his father. I said that his own father wasn't around, then he really started screaming at me. Stupid teenage moods. I didn't think anything of it, but eventually he stopped yelling at me and said he was going to find his real parents. Walked right out of there without saying goodbye and I didn't see him for almost a year."

"... Poor Zidane." Mikoto murmured. "I never thought about having biological parents... Thought it was a ridiculous concept."

"Well, you didn't know any better." Baku suggested. "I dunno... I reckon kids need parents to grow up healthy. Look at Zidane. You said he was supposed to destroy the world, not save it."

"Yeah. You're right, I guess." Mikoto murmured. "But he didn't need parents for his purpose."

"His 'purpose' was wrong." Baku said flatly. "There's no way he was supposed to be the destroyer of Gaia. Have you seen him with Garnet, the Queen? He'd have to kill her, otherwise. But he loves her more than anything. He risked his life for her."

"I know, it comes down to circumstance." The girl said. "And I'm glad he turned out the way he did, of course. You don't know how hard it is though. To grow up, spend your entire life being told what's right and wrong... Then to have it completely inverted..." She trailed off. "Oh, I don't know."

"I'm glad Zidane found out how he was made." Baku said. "And that there are others like him. But he's not staying here with you, no matter what you say. His place isn't with these weirdo's. It's with us."

"You're protective." Mikoto gave a wry smile. "I understand, don't worry. I don't think he would want to stay here, baby-sitting the others. They're like children. Worse than children. Children learn and understand. It's like they're refusing to detach from what they've learned, no matter what I tell them. There's only so much I can take..."

"It's so creepy." Baku muttered. "Making them... The Mages I understand, they're not human at all, but them... They could pass off for ordinary people. And to just be... and for you and Zidane, and... _Kuja_," He spat out the name as though it tasted bad. He hated to think of Kuja and Zidane of brothers, people with a link between them. "They must have been advanced as hell."

"I don't know how we were made." Mikoto said quietly. "But I know how regular Genomes are made. There's a lot of power there, and ability. In every Genome. It's just waiting for a soul to harness it."

"So our problems might not be over yet." Baku shot Mikoto a dark look. The girl frowned.

"If you're insisting the Genomes are implicated on some sort of uprising again the Gaians', you're very wrong." There was a note of anger to Mikoto's voice. "They are learning. Slowly. Very slowly, like the mages. Like Zidane. I promise you, I'll make sure none of them pose a threat to the Gaians'.

"I'm not accusing you of anything." Baku groaned. "Just... It's hard. Seems like everyone new that's been popping up recently has been wanting to kill us. Kuja, the Mages... I'm sure if people knew about the Genomes, they would be angry."

"Probably." Mikoto's shoulders were slumped. "That's why it can never be known that Kuja was one of us. If we're to become people of Gaia, we can't hide out here forever. When the Black Mages die out, we'll be alone. It'll be just like Terra..." The girl trailed off, then shook her head. "Sorry. I do not mean to put that on you."

"Ah, no prob. Good to know about Zidane, ya know?" Baku straightened up. "Look, I _am_ starved. When the Mages come back out, you get me, all right?"

"Certainly." Mikoto agreed. "But they could be ages... I may be waiting a while. Not that I don't mind." She added in a rush. "I'm just saying..."

"That's fine." Baku nodded. "All right, I'll catch you up, all right?"

"... Yeah." Mikoto nodded, sitting herself down on the stool Baku had left behind.

* * *

Yaaaay, another chapter down!

Unsure of when I'll update again, or how long it will be or anything, sorry...

But anyways, read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

Hi!

Yeah, it's another update, finally!

Sorry that it's so late... I didn't mean for it to be, things just caught up with me (ie school -.-)

Disclaimer: I Don't own anything here. If I did, the game would have better dialogue -.-

* * *

"My Queen, are you awake?"

"... Yes." Garnet slowly sat up in the luxurious four-poster bed, staring down at her knees. "I did not sleep well at all last night..."

"Oh, I am sorry to hear that." Beatrice sighed sympathetically as she walked towards the bed. "Do you think you are well enough to get up this morning?"

"Yes, yes." Garnet sighed tiredly, before pushing back at the heavy, silken covers. She stroked the crimson silk sadly, fighting back tears. _ I would much rather be sleeping in a moogles tent. Or even just camping under the stars, if I were to have Zidane at my side..._

Wash, dress, brush, powder, paint. It was a tedious, monotonous job, but Garnet was forced to go through it every morning, if she wished to leave her room. As Beatrice put the finishing touches on her hair, Garnet stared at herself sadly in the ornate mirror. Her face seemed too white with the make-up, lips too red. Her hair, which was an inch or so past her chin, was pinned back, pulling painfully at her sensitive hairs at the nape of her neck. She longed to wear it down, short, uneven, and all, but Beatrice would never hear of it. It was not a "Queenly" appearance by a long shot.

"Are you ready for your tour today?" Beatrice caught Garnet's eye in the mirror. The General forced a weak smile. "I know you don't want to, but the entire town is so excited to meet you. You cannot let them down."

"I know that." Garnet nodded. "My people are more important than my feelings. All the same..." She looked at the older woman hopefully. "Have you heard anything from Tantalus? Have they sent a mognet or transmission, or..." Her shoulders slumped as Beatrice shook her head. "O-Oh..."

"Don't worry." Beatrice said consolingly, patting her shoulder. "It's been three weeks, there's still hope."

"Barely." Garnet stood up, straightening her dress. "I have to give up and move on, I know, but..." She bowed her head, trying to stem the burning lump in her throat. "W-Why? I-I just don't know..." She dug her palms in her eyes, trying to quell her tears. Beatrice rubbed her back comfortingly, lost for words.

"I'm being ridiculous." The Queen sniffed, straightening herself. "I have to stay strong for my people... But it's hard."

"I know it is." She said soothingly, guiding the young woman to the doorway. "We'll just take it slowly today, all right? If you feel like it's too much, we can just come back, all right?"

"Yes." Garnet nodded weakly. The blonde smiled, the pair walking side by side down the marble hallway. Garnet trailed her fingertips along the railing thoughtfully. The carpet, a brilliant deep red, was thick and new, a marked change from the dusky pink hue of her mothers'. Garnet had felt that, since the castle was almost completely destroyed, restoring the interior to pink, a colour she personally hated, was more expensive, and least meaningful than the new carpets and drapes which now bore her name.

"Are you hungry?" Beatrice turned to regard Garnet, who shook her head. In actuality, she just felt completely hollow. "You sure? Quina has been asking to cook you a feast for almost a week."

"... Tonight." Garnet nodded. "I promise that I will be up to eating." She sighed. "I shouldn't be so rude. The poor thing hasn't been the same since..." She trailed off, and took a deep breath. "Yes." She cleared her throat. "Shall we go?"

Beatrice looked at the young Queen helplessly, not knowing what to do.

* * *

"Why are you still awake?"

"Why are you?" Blank countered, not shifting his gaze from the slowly lightening sky.

"I don't sleep much." Mikoto admitted, taking a seat beside Blank in the soft grass. "And I'm a bit edgy."

"'Bout Zidane?" Blank closed his eyes for a moment, but he knew Mikoto was nodding. "Same. It's just..." He slowly sat up, sighing. "I... Didn't expect it to end this way. I mean, if he doesn't pull through." The male added hastily. "I'm hoping for the best, but..."

"The mages have done all they can." The blonde pointed out. "He's breathing on his own, if nothing else... Have you been to see him yet?"

"... No." Blank shook his head. "I... I don't want to."

"Why not?" Mikoto frowned. "I thought you two were close."

"We were!" He screwed his eyes up for a second. "Are." He rectified himself, shaking his head. "I've seen him in this awful state for almost a week... I don't know how much more I can take."

"I can't sway your opinion." She shrugged, and stood up. "The human mind is most confusing... Why don't people ever just say what they mean?"

"... Because it's hard." He muttered under his breath as the girl walked away. But how would she know, growing up with just two other people, both insane to talk to? No wonder she was so socially awkward. Blank brushed at his clothing as he stood up, and then, squaring his shoulders slightly, started off towards the Inn in the village. As he pushed the door to enter, Cinna and Ruby burst out, making Blank jump.

"What the hell?" He gasped. "Scared the... Where are you two going?"

"Bed." Cinna yawned tiredly, arching his back in a stretch. "C'mon Ruby, back to the ship and catch some shut-eye before morning comes..."

"What?" Out of nowhere, it seemed, Mikoto had stepped out of the shadows into the light of the open door. "You're guests of the village, no? I'm sure we can find somewhere for you all to sleep in town."

"Weeelll... On'y if yer_ sure_..."

"I am. Come on. Mr. 288 has a pretty big house, you could probably find somewhere to sleep..." Blank left the three behind, before pushing into the inn, walking through the lobby, and into the bed room, where Zidane was under the blankets in the bottom bunk. On top, Marcus lay, snoring lightly, and Baku sat on a chair at the head of the bed. Vivi was perched on the end, tracing a gloved finger in absentminded circles along the coverlet.

"Well, aren't you a cheery bunch." Blank pulled up the stool from the lobby, then sat down. Baku only gave him a dismissive grunt. "Any change?"

"Nope." Vivi's voice was trembling. "Hasn't moved, talked, even breathed differently... M-Mr. 64 said it was something that happens to humans when they hurt their head really badly... They go to sleep to try and repair themselves and sometimes... Never wake up." Vivi's hand stilled on the coverlet, and clenched into a fist.

"Vivi, why don't you get some sleep?" Blank suggested. "It's really late... And you're just a kid, you need your sleep you know."

"I'm fine." Vivi insisted. "I-I don't wanna leave Zidane yet. What if he..."

"If anything changes, I'll come and get you." Blank offered. "Go sleep and come back in the morning. I don't think Zidane will be waking up anytime soon, don't..." He trailed off. _Don't worry. What a stupid thing to say_...

"... All right." Vivi finally agreed, his shoulders slumping. "I sleep with Mr. 288. So if... If anything changes, then you come and get me, okay?"

"I promise." Blank said as Vivi nodded, and slowly climbed off the bed. "You get sleep. You need it at your age..."

"Actually, I'm very old for a Black Mage." Vivi contradicted the bandit. "I know I'm only nine, but in Mage years that's... Well, eight years longer than expected already..."

"Really?" Blank was surprised. "They only live for a year?" Vivi nodded, by this stage at the doorway. "Hell. Go sleep, okay?"

"Okay." Vivi nodded, before leaving the room. Blank sighed, and made to lean back, but remembered it was a stool, catching himself in time.

"Only a year." Blank mused. "How long does Vivi even have left?"

"Focus, Blank." Baku muttered from his chair.

"Oh, Boss!" Blank perked up a little. "I thought you'd fallen asleep!"

"Nah, not a chance." Baku rubbed at his nose, feeling a sneeze approach. "Too anxious. If he dies at this point..."

"... Yeah." Blank rested his elbows on his knees, head in his palms. ".... So, uh, Boss?" He ventured after a minute or so of silence.

"Hm?"

"Were you... Were you this worried about me? After I got caught in the forest and all? I mean, you didn't really wait around before coming to get me... Did you?"

"Well, let's be fair." Baku sighed. "First, we had to get the hell _out_ of the forest, and then back to Lindblum, all without an airship. Then, when we got there, we _did _have a bit of trouble, what with there being a world crisis and all. Then, we had to make our way to Treno, _on foot_, I'll add, to get the Supersoft and cure you, and then Marcus had to walk it back to the Forest and get you out. It was a very tedious business Blank."

"Glad to know I was worth it." Blank couldn't help but smile.

"'Course you are." Marcus mumbled sleepily from the top bunk.

"He's right." Baku's voice had taken a different tone. It was almost... Nice? "I'll never leave any member of the gang behind, as long as I live. I even offered to pick Ruby up, but she was having so much fun with her own theatre..." He trailed off. "In answer to your question, we did the best we could, as fast as we could. Just like the time Marcus got locked up in the cells at Burmecia. Remember that?"

"I bloody do." Marcus muttered. "Six weeks. Six weeks, Boss!"

"Yeah, yeah." Baku sighed. "Believe it or not, simply breaking in just wasn't an option. We're lucky Zidane knew that Dragon girl, whatever her name is... You'd probably still be in there otherwise."

"Don't say that." Marcus slowly sat up. "Burmecia was destroyed by Kuja and Brahne, remember?"

"Everything was destroyed by Kuja." Blank muttered.

"Ah, don't get down." Baku tried to console his comrade. "Blank, you've been moping for over three weeks. Cheer up, will ya? Zidane's alive, all evil is gone, and everything in the Mist continent is being rebuilt."

"I know, I know." Blank sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I used to be so easygoing. Cinna was the worrier."

"People have their way of dealing with things." Marcus offered, his legs dangling over the side of the bunk. "Some try to laugh it off, some drink themselves stupid, and some mope." He shot Blank a smirk. "Guess you're the mopey kind."

"Oh, shut up." Blank shot Marcus a glare. "That's not how it is. I'm just a bit worried, ya know? We still don't even know if Zidane will pull through."

"I know." Baku cut in, a serious tone in his voice. "I wanted to talk to everyone about this, but the others can wait."

"What is it, Boss?" Marcus frowned. "You sound real serious."

"I am." Baku sighed. "Look. I know we're happy about Zidane still being alive, but I don't wanna tell anyone else yet."

"What, you mean like his friends?" Blank asked. "... You mean Garnet?"

"If he dies, and she gets her hopes up for nothing, it would be the most devastating thing." Baku said simply. "Normally, I would be all for it, trust me, but she's Queen, remember? She has to rule a country. She can't be flying out here to stay beside Zidane's bedside, especially if he dies."

"So we lie to her." Blank muttered, his hands clenched.

"No, no no." Baku sighed. "It's not lying. We just don't tell anyone anything, until we're sure, that he's either gonna be okay or he's... Yeah."

"... What if he does die, and no one gets to say goodbye?" Marcus suggested. "Come on, you know they're in love. You said yourself how cute it was."

"I know, I know." Baku said gruffly. "And think of the _money_. But..." He recollected his thoughts. "If he dies, he dies." He said bluntly. "And that's the very sad fact. What if we send a message to Garnet, and he dies before she even gets here? She would probably lose it, and Alexandria doesn't need that right now. It needs a ruler."

"Aren't you being responsible." Blank remarked. "So, lying about Zidane is for the good of Alexandria?"

"Strange as it sounds, yep." Baku looked up at Marcus. "I might doss down for a bit. You gonna move, or do I have to squash ya?"

"I'm moving, I'm moving!" Marcus yelped, before leaping down to the floor clumsily, with a _thud. "_Ow!"

"That was skilled." Blank chuckled, before standing up and taking Baku's seat beside the bed."

"Yep." Marcus groaned as he stood up, wincing. "Hey! Seat stealer!"

"Deal with it." Blank muttered, shifting his attention to Zidane. Aside from the bandages, the unusually pale skin, the thin face, the bruise-coloured shadows under his eyes, and the numerous scratches and grazes, he could almost pass for just sleeping.

"You're one lucky bastard." Blank mumbled to himself, before leaning against the back of the chair, closing his eyes.

* * *

_Colours._

_Zidane groaned, trying to focus throughout the flashes and whirls of so many different colours, blues, reds, oranges, greens..._

_His head hurt._

_Was he sitting up? Lying down? Floating? Hovering? Zidane had no idea what was going on. He just felt... Suspended. In a sea of nothing but flashes of colour._

_And black._

_Threads of black began to join the clashes, stretching out, expanding, threading like a web across the colour then slowly engulfing it, creeping across like a... Mist..._

_Zidane cried out in pain, trying to hold his hands to his head, but realising they couldn't move. It felt as though his brain was melting inside his skull, or simmering, ready to explode. What was going on?_

_Then there was a flash of white, and for a long time, Zidane felt nothing._

* * *

"Thank you." Garnet nodded to the Alexandrian Soldier, who nodded and bowed.

"Come, my Queen." Beatrice gently led Garnet from the golden rowboat, and past the high stone archway. As she entered the town, flanked by Beatrice and Steiner, the young Queen began to make her way into the city. As she passed, villagers stopped and stared, removing their caps and bowing their heads in respect. She smiled and waved as much as she could, but Garnet was having some real issues.

"Oh." She gasped as she stood in one of the squares, holding a hand over her mouth. It looked so much... Nicer, than before. The Inn looked much more patched up than it had previously, the Weapons' shop was coming along nicely, and even the flower stall had opened up again, albeit with a much more limited range. "So much is still left to do..."

"Yes, but so much has been done." Steiner attempted to console the young woman. "Some trade with Treno has recently opened up, and the Items' store is almost as good as new again."

"... How are the villagers' holding up?" Garnet turned to ask her two closest confidantes, aware of the gathering stares and whispers she was getting.

"Oh, they are fine." Beatrice said almost dismissively. "You don't need to worry, they will be good-"

"I mean their homes." Garnet cut in. "Are they being rebuilt at the same speed as the castle and the town centre? I would hate to think of them still being homeless... I want to go and have a look."

"My Queen-"

"Please, Steiner." Garnet cut over the man. "These are my people, and I want to make sure they are receiving adequate shelter. That is not wrong."

"Yes, but-"

"Glad to know that we are settled then." Garnet began to walk through the square, the slowly increasing crowd of people parting to make way for her.

"No, Garnet, please." Beatrice caught up with her, and rested a hand on Garnet's shoulder, but she merely pulled away, making her way on to one of the main residential streets.

"Oof!" Almost immediately, a small girl, who wasn't looking where she was going, bumped into Garnet, knocking herself to the ground. "Sorry." The little girl pulled herself into a standing position, craning her neck to see who it was. "You look pretty." She said bluntly, and beamed.

"Why thank you." Beatrix and Steiner exchanged glances as Garnet crouched down a little to talk to the child better. "And so do you." The girl giggled. "Where do you live, child?"

"Weell... My Mama and Daddy and I used to live by the church, but that was all knocked down so, now we live with Grandma and Grandpa." She wiped at her running nose, smiling again. "Where do you live?"

"Oh, around." She pointed vaguely to the castle. "Where is your grandparent's house?" She liked small children, and was often sad that she didn't have any little cousins, or other relatives to talk to. True, she had Eiko, but she was far too strong and independent to be considered a proper child, really...

"Just over there!" The girl turned and pointed. Garnet frowned as she straightened up, and was able to properly look at the street. It was ruined, with bits of houses littering the road, the homes partially, if not completely, demolished. The young woman raised a hand to her mouth, eyes burning with tears as she realised what her citizens were being forced to live in. The little girls' home in question was nothing more than a tent which had been pitched on a clear piece of land outside their ruined house.

"This is simply awful..." The little girl had run away, and Garnet bowed her head. "I-I had no idea things were this bad..."

"Garnet, I am so sorry you have to see this, I-"

"Why didn't you _tell_ me about this?" She cried out, turning on Beatrice and Steiner, aware of the gazes she was getting from the townspeople. "My people are suffering and you... You kept me in ignorance?"

"You've been so depressed lately, with the loss of Zidane, we didn't want to make you feel worse-"

"My people are more important than him right now!" Garnet argued. "I have almost accepted that he is gone... You cannot hide this monstrous poverty from me Beatrice. And you Steiner. How could you?"

"Please, my Queen." Steiner pleaded. "We only had your interests at heart."

"My _interest_ is to have the people in their homes again as soon as possible." She had never before sounded this angry to Beatrice and Steiner. She was absolutely appalled that the people she had sworn to protect and save were being forced to live in ruined shells of houses, or worse, in tents, being forced to repair their homes without the proper tools, or even hot food. She felt disgusted with herself, thinking of her luxurious bed in her Queenly room, which had been replaced almost instantaneously after the attack, whilst some people were still sleeping on makeshift mattresses.

"Garnet-"

"No." Garnet turned away from the pair, and to a pile of wreckage. Carefully, hiking her skirts so they would not tear, the Queen made her way to the top of the pile, a makeshift balcony, where she could address her agglomerating people. "Attention!" She called in a loud, clear voice. "And this is for every citizen in Alexandria. Let this message be sent to all those it effects in my kingdom!" She cleared her throat, not looking at Beatrice and Steiner, instead, staring at the crowd of citizens that quickly flocked around her in excitement and anticipation. "It has recently come to my attention that many of you are still living in extremely unsatisfactory living conditions! As your Queen, I am shocked and outraged that his has been concealed from me, and I assure you, that from now on, this will no longer continue!" A cheer rose up from the audience. "So, I hereby declare, that all those who are forced to live in sub-standard housing right now, and are not receiving enough food, and medical treatment, I open the doors of Alexandria Castle to you!" A ripple of gossip ran through the crowd. "I promise, I will find beds, food, and medicine for you all in my own lodgings, until you have repaired your own homes as best you can!"

The audience erupted into loud cheers, young boys fled to spread the news to others throughout the town, and Steiner and Beatrice exchanged uneasy glances. As she slowly made her way back down to the ground, aided by adoring subjects, a cry of "Long live Queen Garnet!" rose through the crowd. Garnet had never before seen the people so overjoyed, so happy and relieved that they were getting the help they needed. She felt ashamed and guilty that the most basic needs of her people were being ignored, whilst she still lived in luxury.

"My Queen..." Beatrice leaned in to whisper in Garnets' ear as soon as she could. "Are you sure this is a good idea? I'm not sure you would have the room to accommodate everybody..."

"Nonsense." Garnet said resolutely. "I will find places for all of these people. They deserve my protection and security, Beatrice. If I do not help them the only way I can, then what kind of Queen am I? The time for being self-centred is over. I have to put Zidane out of my head, for now, My people come before him, Beatrice. As much as it hurts to say so..."

"... If you are sure this is right." Steiner finally muttered stiffly.

* * *

"It's so nice here." Ruby murmured as Blank took a seat beside her. She looked away from the periwinkle sky for a moment, to gaze at him, before returning her stare to the heavens. "Quietlike. Ya don' get that anymore."

"Yeah." Blank sighed, sprawled across the ground. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Better." Ruby sighed. "Did yer sleep well las' night, or..."

"I've been at Zidane's side since before dawn... I might have a nap in the afternoon." Blank looked over at Ruby, who slowly sat up.

"Yer sound better." She gave Blank a smile. "Something must 'ave improved."

"Zidane has." Blank returned the grin. "He's starting to look a little better. I'm a little less... Mopey, I think it was called. What Baku and the others said was right. We got Zidane back safely, and he might live."

"Aww." Ruby wrapped her arms around Blanks shoulders in a quick hug. "Good t' see yer bein' a bit more like yerself again."

"Thanks." Blank patted Ruby's arms for a moment, before she released her hold. "Glad to know I sound so cheery."

"C'mon." She stood up, reaching her arm out to the man. "We can go see him fer a bit." Blank got up by himself, and grabbed Ruby's wrist as she tried to walk away towards the village.

"I don't think much will have changed." Blank pulled her towards him, taking her other hand. "Let's just... Stay here for a while, hm?"

"An' do _what?_" Ruby's eyes widened. "Blank!"

"Hey, you're the one with the filthy mind!" Blank held his arms up in defence. "I just wanted to enjoy the peace and quiet with you. But if you wanna leave, then be my guest." Blank lounged on the grass, looking up at Ruby.

"Oh... _Damn_ yer." Ruby sat down on the grass once more, shaking her head. "Blank, whut do yer want? Really?"

"Nothing." Blank said as innocently as he could. "I just wanted to sit here and enjoy the quiet with you, is all."

"... Yer different." Ruby frowned. "Why are yer so... Happy?"

"I_ told_ you." Blank sighed in exasperation. "Just the whole... Things are looking better." He looked down at his hands. "Am I not allowed to be happy now?"

"Oh _course_ yer are!" Ruby laid a hand on Blanks' shoulder. "It's all I've wanted fer _so_ long now."

"I was thinking a lot more clearly this morning." Blank gave a wan smile. "Must be the insane lack of sleep." He rested his head on Ruby's shoulder, and let out a jaw-cracking yawn.

"Sleep then." Ruby sighed.

"Mmm... I'm not tired though." Blank stared at a spot in the clearing several feet away. "Just... More at peace... If you get me."

"I get yer." Ruby smiled fondly. "Then geddoff." She shoved at Blank playfully, but the man held fast. "Oi!"

"It's comfortable." Blank murmured. Ruby rolled her eyes, and quickly slid out from under him, darting away with a smirk. "_Hey!"_

"Aha." Ruby said smugly, flicking her hair back over her shoulders. "Whut yer gonna do now?"

"You... !" Ruby squeaked as Blank tackled her to the ground. "There."

"Blank!" Ruby protested. "Get _off!"_ She pushed and beat at him, but to no avail. "_Blank!"_

"Mm, Stay still." Blank was half-sprawled over Ruby's back and shoulders, half on the ground. "You're a good pillow."

"_Blank!"_ Ruby yelped again, managing to wrestle free of the man. "Yer little-"

"Bobby Corwen!"

"Come back here!"

Ruby gasped as the half-grown chocobo burst into the clearing, and bounded up towards the human pair.

"Boby Corwen!" Blank winced as the juvenile chocobo leaned down towards them, sniffing cautiously. Two Genomes had run to catch the large bird, who squawked happily when they approached. "Come here, boy." The girl started to walk cautiously towards Bobby Corwen, who took a whiff of the air. "Please?"

"I got him." Blank snatched at the dangling leash that had clearly slipped from the Genome's hand. "Here." Ruby watched as Blank slowly led the chocobo back to the pair. "Keep a better hold on him, Chocobo's can wander really far if they're let off."

"Ooh, I _hate_ the things." Ruby grimaced, earning a chuckle from Blank. "Whut?"

"Thank you." The male Genome nodded. "We're supposed to walk him, but I'm not sure where..."

"Just go around the village a few times or something." Blank suggested. "Unless you can fight, I don't think you should enter the outer part of the forest."

"Okay, thanks." The Genomes nodded, and turned to leave the clearing. "Sorry to have disturbed you."

"No, _thank_ yer." Ruby stood up, and brushed herself off. "I'm gonna go an' see Zidane fer a bit. Yer okay her?"

"Mmm, Okay." Blank nodded, stretching out on the grass, staring up at the sky. "I'll see you a bit later on."

"'Kay." Ruby looked down at the stationary male. "Glad to see yer doin' better, Blank."

"MMmm.." Blank mumbled in assent, before closing his eyes, fighting back a yawn. _It is so nice and quiet here, you almost feel like you're... the only..._

Blank was fast asleep in seconds.

* * *

_Solid ground?_

_Almost crying with relief, Zidane pulled himself up onto his knees, wincing. He felt... Odd. Smaller, somehow. Looking down at his hands, Zidane's eyes widened in surprise at the short, stubby fingers._

_Am I... A child? _

_Zidane rubbed at his eyes, digging his palms into the soft folds of skin. What was going on? Is this a dream? Or... A memory..._

_"This is it." Zidane groaned, blearily looking up into the face of... _

_Kuja._

_"Any last words, you little brat?" Zidane gasped as Kuja grabbed at the back of his shirt, twisting his head back to look up at the white-haired man. His features were softer, more rounded... Younger._

_This is a memory..._

_"Lemme go!" His voice came out as a high squeak, his heart seizing in fear. As Kuja lifted him into the air, Zidane stared around himself, panic-stricken. The sleek, blue-green walls looked familiar..._

_The Invincible._

_"NO!" Zidane screamed, as the bottom of the ship rotated open, a small hole large enough for him to fall..._

_"Call **me** the reject." Kuja hissed in Zidane's ear. "Let's see how you like **this** Garland, your little prodigy, lost to the oceans of Gaia."_

_"STOP!" It was useless, the blonde knew, struggling uselessly against Kuja. Everything felt so hazy... His head still hurt._

_And a moment later, Zidane was falling, the stormy waters of the Gaian ocean, rushing up to meet him. Struggling to collect himself, Zidane hid his head behind his tiny arms, preparing for the plunge..._

_Then he was back in the pit of blackness, suspended in a pool of nothing._

_

* * *

_

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" Cinna asked cautiously as he left the Inn, noticing Mikoto standing at the small bridge, staring at the little gurgling stream.

"Oh." Mikoto regarded the bandit briefly, then looked back down at the brook, hands taking a grip on the railing. "Just looking at the water... It was always still on Terra."

"What, you never had a stream?" Cinna stood beside the girl, following her gaze towards the stream. Mikoto shook her head, curling her fingers tighter around the wooden rail. "At all?"

"Or sunlight." She murmured. "Wind... Rain... Stars."

"Wow." Cinna frowned. "Sounds like hell."

"It was." Mikoto agreed. "Especially when all I had to talk to was either Garland or Kuja, both of whom didn't want much to do with me."

"Eh, they're both nutcases." Cinna tried to cheer the Genome up. "You'll find way more interesting people here."

"I suppose." Mikoto finally tore her eyes away from the water. "But the Mages aren't anywhere near as knowledgeable as they like to think. They don't even understand the concept of death..."

"Hell." Cinna breathed under his breath, watching as Mikoto rubbed tiredly at her eyes.

"Neither do the Genomes." She shrugged. "But hey, they're immortal, so what does it matter to them?"

"They are?" Cinna was surprised. "How? And what do you mean 'they'? You're not?"

"Nope. Neither is Zidane." Mikoto murmured. "Thank goodness. Immortality would be a curse. The others are just vessels. They have no souls, no individual thought. They were created to live forever."

"Oh." Cinna didn't really know what else to say. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry for me." Mikoto muttered. "Be sorry for them. Zidane had this stupid idea that if they learned enough about Gaia, they'll grow a soul or something... How does that even work? It doesn't. There's no hope for them. They'll just wander here forever."

"Aren't you a bucket of sunshine." Cinna frowned. "Zidane might be right."

"No." Mikoto shook her head. "He was just a very small child when he left Terra. He didn't get endless lectures from Garland about his supposed 'mission'. Trust me, I know the Genome. This is how they'll remain, forever." She sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"_You_ don't have to do anything." Cinna regarded the girl with mild surprise. "I mean, you're still young. You're not going to spend your _entire_ life out here are you?"

"Well, what else can I do?" Mikoto countered, her hands on her hips. Cinna paused, noting how much she looked like Zidane at the moment.

"Live your life." Cinna shrugged. "See the rest of Gaia, the cities and villages, and different continents and animals. The Mages can take care of the others for you."

"I guess." Mikoto sighed. "But... Compared to Gaia, Terra was so tiny... It's so... strange, to think of such a huge world out there."

"And not all of it's been explored." Cinna suggested. "I've heard things from Vivi about what he did with Zidane, where he went. Apparently there's even an abandoned castle full of information about Terra in the Forbidden Continent, and a tribe of people who live at the entrance to the other worlds... Or something."

"I know." Mikoto sighed. "And I will go. Sometime. But right now, I have to stay here."

"Well, when you do decide to leave, you should look us up." Cinna offered. "We live in Lindblum. It's the biggest city in the world, hands down, and where Zidane calls home."

"... I should go then." Mikoto gave the bandit a wan smile. "Hey... Thanks for listening, Cinna." She squeezed his hands gently, then let go, turning and heading away from the village.

"Cinna, the ladies man." Marcus remarked. Cinna spun around, shooting the man an evil glare. "What?"

"That is so bloody crude of you." Cinna growled defensively. "She just wanted to talk, man. And besides, it's Zidane's little sister! I would never bloody go there."

"Riiight..." Marcus walked towards the man standing on the bridge. "And you didn't get that 'manly swagger' in your voice."

"Man, shut up!" Cinna cried out, hands gritted. "Why the hell do you have to be such a..."

"Whut are yer two bickerin' about?" Ruby shook her head as she approached the men.

"Cinna's just been putting the moves on Zidane's little sis- _Ow!" _Marcus yelped as Cinna hit him hard about the head. "What was that for?"

"I was _not_ putting any moves on anyone, Marcus!" Cinna protested. "She just wanted to get a few things off her chest, damnit! I have more class than going after Zidane's frigging _sister_."

"Oh?" Ruby raised an eyebrow. "It looked like I missed somethin' interesting. Whut were yer sayin' to 'er, Cinna?"

"Oh, just shut up and go find Blank." Cinna muttered, before storming off, fuming. Marcus was shaking with silent laughter, doubled over.

"Marcus, that was mean." Ruby sighed, a hand on his hip. "Yer shouldn' tease 'im."

"Aww, man, I was just having fun." Marcus straightened up. "But he was _really _defensive. And you know what they say about very defensive people."

"No, whut?" Ruby frowned.

"That they're the guiltiest of all." Marcus grinned. "I think it's... cute. Well, she wouldn't know any better, would she?"

"Marcus, whut are yer scheming?" A suspicious look began to cross Ruby's face.

"Me? Nothing?" Marcus attempted to look as innocent as possible. "Now if you excuse me, I'm off for a feed and a sleep. Catch you up."

"... Okay..." Ruby narrowed her eyes, watching as Marcus strutted away slowly, before making her way to the Inn, where she hoped Baku would be. When she entered the little house however, she stopped in the doorway, watching. Vivi was by himself in the little room, standing on tiptoe on the bedside chair.

"I hope you can hear me." He was murmuring quietly. "'Cos you really really have to wake up, Zidane. There's so many people here that care about you. And I don't want you to die. You were the one that taught me so much about myself. If I never came with you that night, I would have never found about where I came from. In fact I would have probably been lynched by an angry mob or something." Vivi sighed deeply. "This can't be the end for you."

Touched, Ruby remained silent in the doorway, out of Vivi's field of vision, trying not to cry.

* * *

_Where am I now?_

_Zidane felt soggy, like he'd been in a tub of water for far too long. He was vaguely aware of a gentle rocking, softly buffeting him from side to side. He was draped over a log, his lower half submerged in water._

_Is this another memory? He tried to lift his head, but was strangely unable to find the strength. He felt sapped of all energy, finding it a struggle to even breathe. He groaned, his tail twitching weakly._

_Then, without warning, he felt another hand on the back of his neck. Yelping, Zidane was lifted up, unable to move, protest._

_"Holy crap!" He tried to focus on whoever was holding him, but his vision was too fuzzy. "It's a kid!" Zidane blinked, struggling to zone on the man who was holding him, but to no avail. Why did that voice sound so familiar..._

_Zidane yelped, and kicked out as hard as he could, catching the stranger in the face. The man dropped him with a howl, and Zidane felt himself half-running, half-stumbling, over what sounded like wooden planks, before diving into a large, empty crate. He held his hands over his head, trembling._

_What's going on? Zidane tried to clear his head, but it hurt too much. Who was that? Why do I feel like I.._

_"Kid?" The man thudded heavily on the wood, making his way towards the frightened child. "You there?"_

_"Go 'way." Zidane mumbled, holding his hands over his ears. He was sick of these memory-dreams! He didn't even know where he was._

_Maybe I died..._

_"Kid?" Zidane gasped as the man crouched in front of the crate. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Where are your parents?"_

_I don't have any parents. Zidane wanted to blurt out, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, he let out a muted whimper, his hands now over his eyes. Slowly, he lowered them, and froze, gaping at who he saw._

_It was Baku, albeit at least a decade younger, with a slimmer waistline, less ruddy face, and a significantly shorter beard. Zidane's heart jumped, and he made for the bandit leader, but his arms and legs just wouldn't move under command._

_"Kid, look, you're a mess." Baku reasoned. "I just wanna get you cleaned up, okay? Come on now..."_

_Slowly, still filled with a sense of mistrust that Zidane couldn't even believe he was feeling, the Genome began to crawl out of the large crate. Before he could move two inches, however, the bottom of the crate gave out, and he was falling once more. Screaming, Zidane clawed at the air desperately, but to no avail. _

_I'm still alive..._

_

* * *

_

"Any change at all?" Baku demanded towards the Black Mage, who was bent over Zidane, a gloved hand on his head.

"His brain activity has slightly increased." The Mage reported, straightening his back. "According to Mikoto." At Baku's side, the Genome nodded, hands clenched into fists. "His arm..."

"What about it?" Blank burst out, watching intently as Mr. 64 stretched out the arm, untying the bandaged splint from Zidane's broken limb. "What's wrong with it?"

"I thought this might happen. It's healing, but not right. It was broken without a splint for almost three weeks, and the bone's re-growing in its broken state."

"What does that mean?" Baku asked worriedly. The Mage turned, regarding the bandit leader solemnly.

"It'll have to be rebroken." He said simply. "Probably best to do it while he's unconscious – it'll be extremely painful."

"So... He's going to wake up then?" Vivi enquired hopefully. Blanks hand tightened on his shoulder.

"It looks hopeful." The Mage turned back to the injured Genome. "But we have to be cautious. He's still very badly wounded."

"What about his back." Blank swallowed, watching the Mage. "Is it..."

"It's not looking good." Mr. 64 admitted. "But he's not responsive to anything, so I'm not able to gauge the extent of paralysis-"

"_What?"_ Blank burst out. "You... You can't be serious! Zidane's not paralyzed!"

"I fear he might be." The Mage said gravely. "But as I said, I don't know. It could be just his legs, it could be from the neck down-"

"No!" Blanks teeth were gritted. "He's _not_ paralyzed!"

"Look-"

"No, you have to fix it!" Blank continued. "You said you could fix him!"

"Yes, but-"

"I trusted you!" Blank's voice cracked. "We trusted you! And now... Now you tell me that he's _paralyzed?_"

"Blank!" Baku bellowed. "Goddamnit, control yourself!"

"No!" Blank retorted. "I can't believe you're just sitting there, taking this!"

"Blank!"

"No! Just..." Blank turned, and ran out of the room, leaving Baku with his shoulders slumped.

"Damnit." Baku muttered. "I'm sorry about him." He apologized at the Mage. "He's just findin' this a little hard to cope. Ruby!" He bellowed loudly, and sure enough, a few moments later, Ruby stuck her head around the door, peering quizzically at Baku. "Go and find Blank for me somewhere. He ran off."

"Got yer." Ruby nodded, and bowed out of the room. Baku rubbed at his itching nose, before turning to the Mage again, his own stomach churning uncomfortably.

"So... Are you sure?" Baku ventured. "About him being... Paralyzed, I mean."

"No, I'm not." Mr. 64 shook his head. "And I'm sorry I upset your comrade. The truth is I'm not sure at all, it's just the likely possibility."

"And is it permanent?" Vivi finally spoke up, his voice trembling. "A-Are you saying he'll never walk again?"

"No no no, I'm not saying anything like that yet!" The Black Mage held his hands up in defence. "Like I said, when the swelling goes down, I'll know how hurt he is. It might not even be broken. Like I said, it's very very hard to know."

"Man." Baku sat down heavily on the stool. "So he might be... crippled."

"Ugh, I hate that word." Mikoto turned away and stared out the window. "But even if he is... What does it matter? Really? Isn't he still Zidane?"

"He wouldn't like it." Baku sighed deeply.

"Yeah, who would?" the girl rested a hand on the pane of glass.

"No, I mean, he _really_ wouldn't like it." Baku muttered. "He's always been a fighter. And now people are calling him the hero who saved the world. What kind of hero is unable to walk?"

"We can't think like that." Vivi protested, and sniffled. "I-I mean... We're not even sure, are we? Isn't that right, Mr. 64? He might be fine..."

The Black Mage gave a hopeless shrug.

* * *

"Blank... Blank!" Ruby called out, running across the clearing. "Where are yer?" She had looked absolutely everywhere, from the village houses, to the cemetery, and the surrounding forestry, before coming to the conclusion that Blank must have been aboard their commandeered ship. She made her way cautiously up the gangplank, staring around the airships' interior. "Blank?" She called again, frowning. "... _Blank?"_

"Hey." Ruby jumped when she entered the sleeping quarters, finding Blank sitting on his bunk, Zidane's brilliant blue weapon in his hands.

"Blank, whut's wrong with yer?" Ruby's hands were on her hips Blank remained silent. "Huh?"

"Did you know this is called an Ultima weapon?" Blank mumbled, not looking at the young woman. "Look at it. It's light, and easy to handle. You can tell that this one of the finest weapons in the world. Zidane was lucky to have found it."

"Blank, why are yer sayin' this?" Ruby sat down on the bed beside Blank, in deep concern. "Whut happened to yer bein' happy?"

"Zidane might be paralyzed." The Ultima Weapon clattered to the floor, and he held his head in his hands. "He... He m-might not ever walk again."

"... Oh _Blank."_ Her heart dropping like a stone at the horrible news, Ruby wrapped her arms around Blanks shouldes comfortingly. "It's okay-"

"No, it's not!" Blank pulled away from the woman, shaking. "I-It's far from okay! Imagine if Zidane was unable to walk again, Ruby. He's the greatest hero that the world has ever seen. The hottest bachelorette in existence is falling all over him, and he's got the best mates anyone could ever ask for. He would be crushed."

"Well..." Ruby stared at Blank helplessly. "Then I don' know what ta say." She sighed. "I don'."

"I don't want you to say anything." Blank rubbed at his eyes. "I just... I just want..." He slumped his shoulders. "Damnit!"

"Blank, please"

"Why him, Ruby? Why? Out of all of us, he had the most going to for him. The glory, the woman, the fame, everything! Why did this have to happen to him?"

"Blank-"

"Why did he have to go back? Why did he have to pull those stupid heroics one more time? What did he have to gain from trying to rescue the guy that wanted to destroy everything?"

"Blank, _I don' know." _ Ruby said, exasperated. "Please, don' ask me that, because I jus' don' know why he went back. He would have had his reasons, Blank."

"If he's paralyzed, then it's all his fault." Blank stood up, his teeth gritted. "And he's not getting a _shred_ of sympathy from me."

"Blank," Ruby started, trying to get the man to sit back down, but before she could follow him, Blank had already slammed the door behind himself, with a force that made the walls shake.

* * *

Gah, I know this is moving slowly, and I apologize, but I don't want to rush...

Anyways, feel free to press that little button! They've even moved it to make it easier for you xD


	4. Chapter 4

Aaaaaah! I'm so sorry that this is so late! It was one that I was having trouble with. I'm sorry.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, sadly. Bawww

* * *

"Is everything all right in here, Steiner?" Beatrix asked as she joined the armoured man. He stood in the doorway to the large entrance hall, where beds for those who could not be housed in the spare suites of the partly-built castle had been set up.

"Seems to be." He nodded. "The people are happy and well-fed, just getting ready to sleep for the night. Doesn't seem like any sign of trouble, but all the same, I'm going to keep a guard at the door in case problems arise."

"That sounds like a good idea." The woman agreed. "Garnet is just in the Dining hall for dinner, and then I'll send her to bed. She's had a very long day."

"Fair enough." Steiner inclined his head in a slight bow. "I shall probably see you later on tonight." Beatrix nodded, and turned away from the man, walking the magnificent corridor to the Dining Hall. The large double-doors were shut, and Beatrix pushed one open just a crack, peering cautiously inside the large hall.

Garnet sat alone at the table, a picture of solitude. There were a number of plates around her, each with their own sumptuous meal, but aside from a small helping of soup, it was untouched. The young Queens' hands were clasped together under the table, her head down, staring at the tabletop.

"My Queen?" Beatrix closed the door behind her, and rushed across the room. "Are you all right?"

"Oh... Beatrix." Garnet blinked rapidly, then lifted her head. "I was just... Thinking."

"Are you not well?" The General touched Garnets' head in concern, looking for a fever. "You look very ill..."

"I-I'm not hungry." Garnet pushed the plate of food away. "Just... Just..." Her hands came up from under the table, and found her face. She buried her face in her hands desperately, her shoulders shaking.

"Ohh..." The woman patted Garnets back gently. "Garnet, I..."

"I want him here." Garnet wailed, her voice muffled by her hands. "I just want him beside me..."

"Oh, I know..." Beatrix tried to hug the girl, but she was stiff, unresponsive to her touch.

"Beatrix, h-how... How do I stop hurting?" Garnet sniffed. "I'm trying, but..." She wiped at her nose, rather disgracefully, with a gloved hand. "Every day, I can't stop thinking about him..."

"That's because you love him, it's natural." Beatrix murmured. "Oh, you poor thing..."

"I just want him to come back." Garnet cried. "Even if he doesn't stay with me, I just want to know he is alive and well... I just..." She collapsed into fresh sobs, feeling overwhelmed.

"I know, I know." Beatrix didn't know what to do. "Look... If you're finished eating, then how about you go and get some sleep. You look exhausted."

Defeated, broken down, Garnet slowly nodded.

* * *

"Hey." Blank didn't look up from the ground as Marcus took a seat beside him. "How're you doin', bro?"

"Just freakin' peachy." Blanks' teeth were gritted. "What are you doing here?"

"I hear you went off at Ruby." Marcus sighed. "Just because you're pissy, you don't have to take it out on her."

"Shut up, Marcus." Blank groaned. "I don't want a lecture from you."

"I'm not trying to lecture you." Marcus' voice was steady and calm. "I'm just telling you that being angry isn't the way to deal with this."

"Marcus, please." Blank rubbed at his eyes. "I mean it."

"And so do I." Marcus looked up at the sky, which was tinged a brilliant orange from the dying sun. "It's obvious you're hurting over this. Hell, so am I. But like Baku said, we don't even know anything. He could be fine."

"But he wont be." Blank muttered. "It would be too..."

"Too what?" Marcus shifted his gaze from the darkening horizon to Blank. "Bro, you're scaring everyone."

"Well, I'm sorry you're all so scared." Blank stood up, stretching. "Look, I'm gonna go for a walk, kay?"

"When did you last sleep?" Marcus inquired, pulling himself to his feet.

"This morning." Blank frowned. "Why do you-"

"No, I mean more than a two-hour nap." Marcus looked concerned. "Go and get a good nights' sleep, Blank."

"No, I'm fine." Blank argued. "I don't think I could sleep anyways... Later, Marcus."

"Blank." Marcus grabbed at the other mans' elbow. "Being angry at Zidane isn't gonna make you feel better."

"Look, bugger off." Blank said distractedly, pulling himself free. "I don't need your pity, Marcus."

"This isn't pity, its concern!" Marcus burst out. "Not just from me, but from all of us. Even Vivi's worried, and he's got way too much on his plate right now to start stressing over you!"

"I never asked him to be worried!" Blank shot back. "Look, just tell him-"

"No, you go and tell him." Marcus said evenly. "And while you're at it, apologize to that Mage for doing your nut at him. And Baku wants to have a word with you as well."

"I'm not talking to the Boss." Blank responded. "I don't care what he has to say right now."

"He's the Boss, Blank." Marcus was exasperated. "Goddamn it, get a grip on yourself! I know you're angry and hurt over what's happened, so is everyone! And if Zidane _is_ crippled, I'm going to be devastated, trust me. But I'm going to be there for him, like you should be. He's going to need you there for him Blank."

"Dammit, why did he have to go back, Marcus!" Blank ran his hands through his hair, turning away from the other. "Why did he have to play the hero one last bloody time!" He kicked at a rock, hands clenched into fists. "What was even the _point?"_

"So _that's_ what's eating you up." Marcus murmured sadly.

"Damn right it is!" Blank shot back. "I was pissed off when he went for Garnet, but I forgave him when it came through that he loved her. He risked his neck to save the world, and fair enough, who wouldn't? But _why_, why did he go back for Kuja? He knew he couldn't get him out of there, he must have known. Why did he risk his life for the man who tried to destroy the world, Marcus?" Blank's voice cracked. "Why?"

"I don't know why." Marcus sighed. "He would have his own personal reason. And he would probably regret it, too. But cut him some slack, Blank. He's really, really injured. By all rights, he should be dead. Our bit isn't over. When he wakes up, think about how down he's going to be. Bedridden for months, could be paralyzed, might be screwed in the head... He's going to need his friends and family around him. And that's us."

"I_ know_." Blank groaned, his arms crossed. "I know Marcus, I know. Believe me, I know. But... It's bloody hard, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Marcus draped an arm over Blanks' shoulders. "Listen to me. When Zidane wakes up, he's going to need you around. Are you seriously going to be angry at him?"

"... I'll want to be." Blank muttered. "But you're right. Damnit Marcus, you're always right."

"Yeah, that's why they call me the smart one." Marcus boasted. "But seriously." He took a more grave tone. "You're always the coolest cat in town. Don't forget that." He clapped Blank on the back. "Now, lets' go have a feed and a sleep, huh? I could do with a lie-down too."

"... Oh, all right." Blank shrugged, but followed the man in slouched agreement.

* * *

"Ya feeling any better?" Without waiting for an answer, Baku took a seat next to Blanks bed, startling the male out of a somewhat fitful sleep.

"Oh... Hey..." Fuzzy-mouthed, Blank rubbed at his eyes blearily. "What's up?"

"I just asked how you were." Baku replied. "You better not still sulking."

"I wasn't _sulking_." Blank protested, sitting up, rubbing at his eyes.

"Wasn't. That's a good sign." Baku stood up. "You need to pull yourself together, Blank. Dammit, everyone hates to see you falling apart like this."

"I'm not falling apart." Blank mumbled. "Jeez, I'm not allowed to be upset? You think I like being like... This?"

"I know you don't." He clapped Blank on the back as he stood up. "That's why we're happy t' see you better."

"I don't feel much better." Blank mumbled glumly. "It's so funny, isn't it? We've stared death and destruction in the face so many times and been so calm and collected. Yet _this_ happens, and..."

"Yeah, well, I suppose this is harder, in a way." Baku wrinkled his nose, trying to suppress the urge to sneeze. "When you're staring death and destruction in the face you don't exactly have time to stop and think."

"Isn't that true." Blank muttered dully, straightening his gloves.

"You know, you sacrificed yourself in that Forest." Baku noted. "Don't forget that."

"But I did that to save the others." Blank argued. "And that was a spur of the moment thing. I wasn't being so sharp."

"I'm not saying it's the same." Baku sighed, sitting down heavily on the edge of the bed. "I was just sayin'. The mind can be an evil thing, Blank. Don't let it play tricks on ya."

"... You're so cryptic." Blank shook his head, crossing his arms. "Why can't you ever just say what you mean?"

"There's no fun in that." Baku grinned. "Now shut up. I'm gonna try for some sleep." Blank rolled his eyes, but left the room wordlessly, and closed the door. He leaned against the panelling heavily, and let out a long, long sigh.

If only it were so easy.

* * *

_Flashing colours._

_Light._

_A smile._

"_La la la laa..."_

_Dagger._

_Whirling. _

"_La la la la la..."_

_Rising cadence._

_Chocolate eyes filled with tears._

_No..._

"_Please..."_

_She's in pain..._

"_Don't..."_

_Flashes of broken images..._

_Make it stop..._

Zidane's eyelids slightly flickered.

* * *

Blank stared at the still form of Zidane in the dying sunlight, his arms crossed. It was almost as though he was waiting for something. A flicker of the eyes, crease of the brow, twitching of a finger... _Something._

What if he died?

Blank closed his mind to the thought instantly. It was inconceivable to submit to the notion, not this far down. Zidane was okay – partly. He was alive, and with a means to eat and drink, his injuries attended to as best as possible, there was no reason for him to die.

"Damnit, Zidane." Blank sat down on the chair beside Zidane's bed, arms crossed and back reclining against the wood. His eyes were drooping, exhaustion setting in. He'd only had a couple of hours sleep before Baku's disturbance, and the continuous lack of sleep had long ago taken a toll on his body. However, despite his exhausted body, Blanks' mind was wide awake. Sleep was a long time coming. He looked over at Zidane, completely still on the bed, unmoving but for the insignificant rise and fall of his chest.

He seemed so alone...

But that was silly. Zidane's only isolation at the moment was inside his own mind. In reality, he was surrounded by his oldest friends, the closest he had to a family. _Maybe I'm the one that's really alone..._

_I've isolated myself with all of this. Everyone is trying to help me, when they should be helping Zidane. That's really stupid of them... Or selfish of me. Probably the latter._

_I need to get over myself. _Blank groaned, turning his gaze to the window. _Like I'm the only one upset by this. If Zidane was awake, he'd punch me for being such an idiot, I know. _

_I still want to smack him. _Blank ran a hand through his hair, which was greasy and unwashed. _I need a bath..._ He shook his head, and sighed, feeling gross both inside and out.

"Ugh." Blank froze, and swung his stare back to Zidane. _Did he just..._

"Zidane?" Blank enquired excitedly, shaking at the blonde's shoulder. "Are you there? You waking up?"

But there was no response. Zidane was as unresponsive as ever, his pallid skin illuminated in the lantern light. He wasn't awake, Blank realised with a sinking heart. It was just a groan in his throat, a reflex. Although to what, Blank didn't know. He hadn't seen the flickering of Zidane's eyelids, which had also ceased.

_Maybe I just heard things._ He rubbed at his itching eyes, hoping desperately that wasn't true. _Or maybe, he's dragging himself out of this. Didn't the mage say that humans sunk into a sleep like that to fix themselves? Zidane isn't exactly a human, I know, but maybe that's the same principle. Maybe he's fixed himself and he's going to wake up._

_It sounds so hopeless._ Blank looked sadly down at Zidane. It was a hot, sticky night, and the blankets were folded down at Zidanes waist, his arms folded over his heavily bandaged chest. Looking at him, his bandaged head, re-broken arm wrapped tightly in a splint, his bruises still looking like purple-and-black medals, although the scrapes were healing, Zidane really look so broken. Fraught with the memories of his close friend in his healthy days, laughing and smiling with a jug of ale, or stony-faced, jaw set in battle, Blank swallowed. How could this broken shadow of a man be him?

That was what really rattled him, what he tried to mask and cure with his unjustified anger.

* * *

_Where am I?_

_Dagger rubbed her eyes. She was on what looked like a conservatory. But it was so strange, made of black marble, with no railing or walls. It was a platform, thrust into the sky. Huge clouds billowed around her, black as ebony. Trembling slightly, the young Queen took several tentative steps to the edge, and peered over._

_The black clouds enclosed the space below her, as well as above. All she could see was the incredibly tall pillar she stood on, stabbing the heart of the stormy clouds._

"_Dagger." Her heart seizing, the girl spun around, to see Zidane a few paces from her, a small smile on his face._

"_Zidane!" Daggers' voice cracked, eyes welling with tears. "W-What-"_

"_Dagger, you must listen to me!" He had to raise his voice over the howling of the wind and clouds. "I'm not dead. I'm alive!"_

"_I know you are!" She wanted to walk towards him, and tried to, but, in a typical dream fashion, her feet refused to obey her. "I know you wouldn't leave me!"_

"_They're keeping me hostage!" Zidane called out desperately. "They don't want me to come back!"_

"_Wh-who are keeping you hostage?" Tears fell freely down Daggers' face. "Zidane, tell me!"_

"_You must rescue me!" Zidane carried on as if he hadn't heard her. "Please, hurry! I'm badly injured, I'll die soon if I don't get help from the doctors! Dagger, you're my only hope!"_

"_I will Zidane, I will!" Finally, her feet moved, and she was able to run towards Zidane. However, just as she was about to embrace him, a huge black dragon burst from the sky. Dagger screamed, watching in horror as Zidane was lifted in its' talons, swearing and struggling._

"_No!" Zidane yelled, and Dagger watched, in pure horror, as the dragon tore at him, his agonized screams filling the tempestuous air, the cries dissipating in the gale. _

"_Zidane!" She screamed, feeling sick as the dragon let the dead genome fall to the ground, two limbs ripped off entirely, a ragged slash up his stomach exposing his internal organs, his head lolling, neck broken._

"_It's no use." Instead of a deep, booming roar, the dragon had a voice rather like a snake, and although he didn't speak loudly, the voice filled Daggers' ears. "You're too late to save him, my Queen! He's already dead!" _

With a scream, Garnet shot up in bed, her heart hammering in her chest. She screamed again, scrabbling anxiously at the covers, attempting to pull herself out of bed. Over and over, she saw her precious Zidane torn to pieces, his screams of agony still ringing in her ears...

"My Queen!" Beatrix burst into the room, Steiner hot on her heels. Garnet was on the floor beside the bed, her fingers curled in the displaced sheets. She shook so violently, her teeth chattered. "Whatever's wrong?"

"H-H-H..." Garnets' voice was hoarse and she was unable to form a single word, so aggressive were her tremors. She was only vaguely aware of Beatrix's protective arm around her, brandishing her Save the Queen with the other. Steiner also scoured the room, clutching his Excalibur II.

"Who perpetrated your room, my Queen?" Steiner flung back the curtains, expecting to fins the supposed villain there. "Are you hurt?"

"She looks uninjured." Beatrix reassured the Captain. "Any signs of an intruder?"

"Not that I can see." He lowered his sword, but did not sheathe it. "He must have fled upon her screaming. Nothing appears stolen, her crown is still here."

"No one... came in." Garnets' hoarse voice made the two pause.

"Then what is it that frightened you, my Queen?" Beatrix begged, replacing her sword and gently helping the girl to stand.

"I-I-I..." She fought back tears. "N-Nightmare..." She breathed. "Dragon..."

"... Ah." There was a relieved tone in Steiner's voice as he sheathed his sword, but all the same, closed the Queens' window. "I agree, even in a dream, dragons are exceedingly frightening."

"I-It killed Zidane." Garnet sniffed. "Tore him to shreds... God he's still screaming!" Her voice rose into a hyperventilating cry, and she held her hands over her ears. "H-He's still... Won't stop..."

"Oh dear." Beatrix coaxed Garnet to take a seat on the edge of her bedraggled bed, while Steiner hovered around uncertainly. "It was just a dream, Garnet, no need to be frightened, still."

"B-But... H-He..." Garnet held her trembling hands over her mouth, trying to erase the horrific images from her mind.

"My Queen! General Beatrix! Captain Steiner!" It was a female soldier who pushed open the door, saluting the trio. "The townspeople heard Queen Garnet screaming. They are terribly anxious to know what is going on. What should I tell them?"

"Tell them that..." Beatrix bit her lip, and looked over at Steiner. Tactless at the best of times, she knew the Captain would not be able to phrase it without making Garnet seem a little foolish for waking the castle, and even at that time, Beatrix was unaware of how to phrase it delicately. "I shall go with you." She stated, giving Garnet a pat on the shoulder before standing up, and bustling out of the room with the solider. Immediately, Steiner came to Garnets' side, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"My Queen-"

"Z-Zidane said he was still alive." Her voice still trembled. "And that he was held by force." Unlike most dreams, which melted away as one woke, this dream was etched clearly into the young Queens' brain. "Th-That only I could save him. Th-The dragon said I was too late... Zidane was already dead..." She sounded inches from tears. "Wh-What does that mean?"

"I don't know." Steiner said honestly, cautiously coming closer to Garnet. "My Queen... I wish as much as you to send a squadron of soldiers to the Iifa tree, but the fact is that they are needed much more here, rebuilding your kingdom. Tantalus are doing their best to find him, and although it has been a long time with no news, we can still hope for the best."

"Wh-What if it's them?" Garnet accused wildly. "What if they're the ones holding Zidane? What if-"

"They may be naught but a group of vagabonds and thieves, but they would not do such a thing." Steiner said gently, a hand on Garnets' shoulder. "You had a nightmare. Your brain is just playing tricks on you, nothing more." He watched as Garnet's face crumpled, as she tried very hard to hold back her tears, but the effort failed, and soon she was sobbing into the cold comfort of her hands. Unsure what to do, Steiner looked around the room, before gently sitting on the bed beside Garnet, a gloved hand on her shoulder. With a little moan, Garnet clung to Steiner, her most loyal of subjects, who had seen the worst of times beside her, and was the only one who really knew just how deep Garnets' affections flowed for the tousle-haired, charismatic, thief who appeared gone from her life forever.

"It's going to be all right." Steiner said after a time, patting her somewhat awkwardly. "For all we know, they have found him and are caring for him."

"Th-Then wh-what's taking them s-so long?" Her cheek was against the cold metal of Steiner's breastplate staring at the stars through her open window. "A-And n-not even a letter?"

"I think we found how out how unreliable Mognet can be." Steiner remarked with a wry smile. "And besides, they're on the Lost Continent. You know how wild that place can be. It's just ruins and mages and dwarves. Perhaps they crashed their airship and are waiting for repairs. Maybe Zidane is so badly injured that he cannot be moved great distances. There are many reasons why we have not yet received contact, my Queen. Do not think the worst yet."

"B-But it's so hard." Garnet said weakly, sniffing. "I-It's been over a month... H-How could anyone..."

"He's not dead." Steiner said flatly. "I assure you, Queen Garnet. He lives. After everything he has done, do you really believe that this is his end, as poetic as it may be?"

"...I-I just..." She tried to compose herself, and failed. "I want him here, Steiner."

"I know, my Queen." He sighed. "And he will. You must have some patience."

"I _have_ been." Garnet argued. "A-and I-I don't know if I can for much longer..."

"Then I don't know." Steiner said quietly. Garnet slowly drifted off into silence, her tears gradually easing into long, ragged sighs. Looking about the room as he gently consoled her, Steiner realised for the first time that he was in the Queens bedroom late at night, with her clinging to him in just her nightgown. A blush crept across his face, hardly visible in the weak lamplight of the bedchamber, much to his relief.

"It is all sorted out." Beatrix said in a businesslike tone as she shut the door. "One mention of a nightmare full of dragons and the entire hall shivered. And no wonder, after Bahumut... But yes." She cleared her throat. "It is late, my Queen, do you wish to return to bed?"

"I-I think I shall." She nodded, and breaking apart from Steiner, gave the man a weak smile. "Thank you, Steiner." She said gently. "You were right. I am being silly." She stood up, watching as the pair replaced the covers on her bed. "But why were you two still out on patrol?" There was a scolding edge to her voice. "Did you not look at the time? You must get a good nights' rest or you shall be of no use tomorrow."

"We usually don't sleep until the wee hours." Beatrix admitted, giving Steiner an odd glance. "But are you sure that you will be all right in here, my Queen?"

"Yes, yes, I will be fine." She affirmed. "I can put myself to bed. You two go and get some sleep."

"All right, my Queen." They both left the room with a bow, Beatrix shutting the door behind the girl. Garnet stretched out on her bed, above the covers, with a long sigh, staring up at the deep red curtains. Eventually, she rolled over onto her side, staring out the window.

There was another possibility, which Garnet had tried not to think about. That Zidane was alive and, indeed well, and roaming the world with his band of thieves. For after all, he could not do that again, if he were to return to Alexandria, and Garnet. Her people would never stand for that, their Queen marrying a man who continued to be a thief.

_Marrying?_ Garnet blushed. _I'm thinking far too far ahead. Besides, I don't think he would ever want to marry me. This lifestyle, it just is not for him. He would loathe being tied down in such a way. He's a free spirit. You just cannot keep a wild bird in a cage. But do I really think that little of him? That he is hiding himself from me? Does he not realise that I would never order him to stay? I know he wouldn't stay. He's still so young, he would want to see more of the world first, travel with his friends._

_More of these ridiculous hypothetical's_. Garnet wrinkled her nose in the dark. _It will drive me insane, all of this thinking and wondering. Is he alive, dead, injured, healthy? Does he want me or does he want his freedom?_

_He cannot have both._ It was a terrible blow to Garnet, but it was true. The husband or partner of a Queen could not go gallivanting off around the world, unless it was fighting a direct threat of the kingdom, and Garnet had written fresh peace treaties to Lindblum, and the combined settlement of Burmecia and Cleyra, all of whom were nowhere near capable of starting a war for another twenty years, at least, with their ruined cities and decimated populations. _So much hurt.._.

_I supposed it just depended on how much he cared. How much he would want to sacrifice._ By their own accord, her feet carried Garnet over to her window, which she pushed open, leaning over a little to drink in the night air.

_I feel so frazzled._ Her hands clenched on the windowpane, Garnet gritted her teeth. _I need to put him out and leave him out of my head. I have a nation of people who need guidance from their ruler. I cannot be sitting here, my thought preoccupied with him. What I want is not important. Getting Alexandria back to normal – or even better, upgrading it, expanding the city boundaries to reduce crowding, wider streets, better sanitation, cleaning up the river properly, getting rid of the animals that spread plagues and poxes... My rooms here are stuffed with taxes. I would gladly spend myself into poverty, if it meant that Alexandria is a modern city that is safe and healthy to live in. Unlike Mother, my priorities are not self-centred. _

_I need to get some sleep._ Far away on the eastern horizon, the sky was beginning to bear just the tiniest smear of a slightly lighter grey. Dawn was a few short hours away, and she knew tomorrow would be just as hectic as the previous day. But it was so nice here...

Closing her eyes, Garnet began to hum, her melodic voice mingling with the fresh night air, the song she had learned as a small child, the song of Madain Sari.

Her and Zidane's song.

* * *

"Shove over."

Ruby started out of her sleep on the makeshift bed on the floor, squinting through the darkness through a tangle of golden hair.

"Huh?" She rubbed at one eye, watching as the figure sat down beside her thin mattress upon the floorboards, pulling at his boots. The gloves came next, as well as the bulkiest of his accessories. "Whut do yer think yer doin'?"

"Getting some sleep." At the sound of Blanks' voice, Ruby relaxed, and scooted over in the bed to give Blank more room. "Thanks. Can't find any other beds around."

"Ah." The new part of the bed she lay in was cold, but Blank was warm at her other side. "Did her see Zidane?"

"Uhuh." Blank sounded very sleepy, curled slightly into Ruby so they made the best space out of their blanket.

"And?" Ruby coaxed the tired man, looking through the darkness at him, making out a vague silhouette.

"I think he made a noise." Blank frowned, eyes snapping open. At his side, Ruby stiffened a little.

"Really?" She kept her voice at a whisper, for the sake of the other snoring figures in the room.

"Yeah." Blank sounded thoughtful. "Or maybe it was my imagination, I don't know. But it was just like a little groan you make in your sleep. That was it. I hope I wasn't hearing things..."

"Yer weren'" Ruby declared with an air of confidence. "Dun' worry."

"It's all I've been doing." Blank muttered dryly. "It's hard not to... Ruby, do you think Zidane is looking better, or worse than when we first found him at the bottom of the tree?"

"It's all th' bandages." Ruby said consolingly. "Makes 'im look worse. I think 'e's lookin' better."

"I just don't think so." Blank's shoulders were slumped. "I-I feel like he's getting worse... And it's just getting harder to watch."

"hun, o' course it is." She rested a hand on Blanks' shoulder. "But be happy, gawd. We got 'im. And 'e's not gonna die."

"We don't know that just yet." Blank murmured. "Everytime I see him, it's just..."

"I know." Ruby's grip tightened. "But... It'll be okay. I promise."

"You don't have to promise me." Blank sighed. "I just need to get over myself. I'm cracking up. Maybe it's the lack of sleep that's done it."

"Probably." Ruby suggested. "Sleep now."

"I-I-I-I will." Blank finally finished around a wide yawn. Burrowing down into the blankets, for the night had turned colder, Blank closed his eyes, his head very close to Ruby. The young woman waited for the light snore, then rolled over gently in the bed, examining Blanks' face. The clouds moved, up high in the night sky, and a finger of moonlight touched the man's face, bathing his features in silver. She noted the dark shadows under his eyes sadly, frowning as she examining his eyes, thinking that tears were clinging to Blanks' eyelashes. They were. Awash with a deep pity for the man she cared so deeply for, Ruby laid an arm across Blanks' chest, scooting a little closer – for warmth, she told herself – and rested her forehead in the crook of the man's neck. In his sleep, Blank mumbled, and turned a little himself, one hand subconsciously resting on her hip. Ruby blushed strongly in the dark, but didn't move, too warm and comfortable to even think about shifting their position.

_One of these days,_ she told herself, before drifting into a sleep as deep as the heavily-snoring Blank. _One of these days, I'll tell that man just what I think of him._

* * *

"Are you not hungry?" Mikoto noted as Cinna pushed away his half-eaten breakfast. At his right, Marcus sniggered a little, as Cinna shook his head, blushing.

"Oh, no, I am." Cinna said weakly. "And the food is good, thank you so much for making it, I just... I don't know, I'm starting to feel a little sick of the same stuff all the time, you know? I mean, is there anything else you guys have to cook?"

"Well, not really." Mikoto admitted. "I'm not the best cook at all, but no one else here even tries, not even the Mages. Why, do you think that you could make something?"

"Well, I could." Cinna said a little reluctantly. "What do you have?"

"Well, we don't have a wide selection of food." Marcus watched the exchange silently. "Sorry."

"Oh, no that's okay." Cinna shrugged, looking a little downcast. "It was just a thought."

"I have an idea." Marcus cut in. "Why don't you guys take a little day trip to Conde Petie? They have heaps of supplies there, and Cinna, you can show Mikoto what she could buy another time."

"That sounds lovely!" Mikoto perked up, her voice overriding Cinna's weak stammers. "What do you think, Cinna? It's such a lovely day today as well, don't you think? We could even eat lunch there, it's such a nice place to be on such a day..."

"Well, yeah, I guess." Cinna finally agreed weakly. "I just need to go and get ready... I'll be back in ten minutes, that okay?"

"Sure!" Mikoto grabbed the dishes, glad to be going on a trip with her newfound friend. "I'll see you soon."

"Sure." Cinna forced a smile, then shot daggers at Marcus. "Do you mind coming out here?" He shot his fellow bandit a falsely sweet smile.

"Sure." Marcus sounded unabashed as he followed Cinna outside. The moment the pair were under the greenery, Cinna turned to the man, clearly furious.

"What the _hell_ was that?" He hissed, keeping his voice low, lest Mikoto hear. "What are you playing at?"

"Nothin'." Marcus shrugged. "Look, calm down. I just gave you guys an opportunity to be together, what's so wrong about that?"

"I don't like her like that." Cinna protested in a weak moan. "How many times do I have to tell you, she's Zidane's little sister! You don't go after a brothers' little sister!"

"You don't have to be like that with her." Marcus frowned. "But jeez, be a friend to her at least. Think about how lonely it must be here, where the only person you can even really talk to is a little kid."

"Yeah, but..." He sighed. "I-I just don't..."

"I know you 'just don't'. That's why you're blushing so hard." Marcus teased.

"You!" Purple faced, Cinna lunged at Marcus, who merely shook his head, and with a chuckle, turned, and began to saunter away, towards the Inn. "Yeah, you better walk away!" Cinna called. "Unless you want my hammer hittin' the back of your head!" Marcus only waved cheerfully before entering the inn, the door shutting beside him.

"Is everything all right?" Mikoto asked, in the doorway of her modest home. Cinna jumped, and spun around, flustered.

"Err, yeah, just fine." He scratched the back of his head. "I er, I'll just go and get ready, shall I?"

"A-All right..." Mikoto watched as Cinna dashed off, frowning. _What was wrong with him? Why did he seem so... strange?_ With a shrug, she walked back into the house, finishing up on cleaning the dishes.

_Maybe whatever it is, I can ask him when we go to Conde Petie_. At the thought of the little trip, a thrill of excitement surged through Mikoto's chest.

* * *

"Good morning, loverboy."

"Huh?" Blank rubbed at his eyes with his free hand, peering up to see Marcus standing over him with a smile. "Wh-What's up?" He peered through the mid-morning light, a little unsure.

"Err, look at how you're sleeping." Marcus gestured down to Blank, who saw with a slight shock that Ruby was curled into his side, one arm and one leg sprawled out over him, her head on his collarbone. His leg had curled with Ruby's, under the blanket, and he'd looped an arm around Ruby's waist.

"O-Oh." Blank was pleasantly surprised. "Look at that." His only response was to snuggle back down under the blanket. "All right, bye-bye now, Marcus."

"Oh, ugh." The man shook his head in disgust. "First Zidane and Garnet, then you and Ruby, now Cinna and Mikoto..."

"Really?" Blank opened one eye. "Good for him then. At least he found a girl that doesn't run screaming when he looks at him."

"Don't let him hear you say that." Marcus muttered. "But yeah." He sighed. "Must be something in the water."

"Aw, is Marcus jealous?" Blank teased. "All lonesome..."

"Oh, please." Marcus snorted. "Bro, you know I'm not like you and Zidane, always thinking about girls..."

"Because you're not natural." Blank announced. "You just don't know what's good for you."

"Oh, I _do_ know what's good for me." Marcus remarked.

"Clearly." Blank chuckled. "That's why I'm waking up in the arms of a beautiful women late in the morning, while you skulk around."

"Okay, now you're stretching it." Marcus sniggered. "Ruby? Beautiful?"

"Hey man, lay off." Blank retorted defensively. "I happen to think she is. And she's got a good head on her shoulders. You name someone else like that."

"Aww, you _are_ in love." Marcus shook his head. "I just can't escape it, can I?"

"Well, stop being a spoilsport and get a girl then. Or go and see Zidane." Blank pointed out.

"Ugh, even he's on it." Marcus sighed. "He was murmuring Garnets' name all through this morning."

"_What?"_ Blank stiffened. "D-Did he?"

"Yeah. Don't get up," He held up his hand as Blank made to get out of bed. "There's no use in going now, he's stopped, but yeah, he was muttering all morning. I wanted to wake you, but Baku said to let you be. And you do look lot better."

"Yeah, it's amazing what a good mornings' sleep can do." He grinned, his heart so much lighter at the news. "So, he's going to be okay?"

"He was always going to be okay." Marcus said gently. "You were the only one who had any doubt."

"I-I guess." Blank sighed, his gaze now on the ceiling. "Who's in with him?"

"Vivi and the Boss." Marcus reported. "They're refusing to leave his side. I'm heading back there now, just wanted to check on you. Look, see if you can get a couple more hours' sleep. If Zidane makes any movement, I'll come right in and wake you up, all right?"

"Yeah." Blank relented, relaxing under the sheets once more. Despite the exciting news, an exhausting veil of sleepiness was still over his eyes. He felt as though he could sleep for a week. "Sleep sounds good..."

"Sweet dreams then." Marcus teased, before leaving the room. Blank smiled, and looked over at Ruby, a thick tangle of blonde hair in her face. He pushed it away, and smiled again. "Jeez, how could Marcus not think you're pretty? He must have been teasing." With that, he closed his eyes, swallowing a yawn.

"Thanks Blank." Ruby mumbled sleepily a few moments later, but the red-haired man was already asleep.

* * *

"Wow, we have so much stuff!" Mikoto marvelled at the stuffed saddlebags that hung on Bobby Corwen. "What are we going to make with this?"

"Oh, I don't know." Cinna shrugged. With a flick of the reins, the juvenile chocobo, mature enough to handle a load of supplies and two small figures, trotted across the vast green meadow. "I haven't eaten Mist food in so long... What I really want is some South Gate Bundt Cake... Jeez, I miss the stuff."

"What's that?" Mikoto frowned, clinging to Cinna's waist. "Never heard of it before."

"You wouldn't have." Cinna coaxed the chocobo to move faster. "You can only buy it in South Gate... That's a place on the Mist Continent." He explained. "It's like heaven in your mouth. Truth be told, I have no idea how to make it, but it's worth a shot."

"If you don't try, you never get anywhere." Mikoto was staring thoughtfully out along the horizon. "I'd like to try and make it. It sounds interesting."

"I guess it is." Cinna was somewhat surprised. Even the simple concept of baking was beyond the girl. _She has got a lot to learn... And she wants me to teach her._ Feeling a little hot under the collar, Cinna shook his head.

"Are you all right?" Mikoto asked at the gesture.

"O-Oh, yeah." Cinna lied. "Fly on my nose, is all. C'mon, Bobby Corwen, get a move on. Mikoto, hold on really tight."

"All right but I don't see wh- Woa!" She gasped in shock as Cinna made the juvenile chocobo jump into a frantic run, his feet pounding the grassy meadow as they dashed across the countryside. "He's so fast!" She yelled, her voice flung into the wind.

"I know!" Cinna called back. "You should see some of the ones bred for racing and long-distance travel. They almost fly over the land!"

"This is fast enough!" She buried her head in Cinna's shoulder. "Are we close to the woods yet?"

"Almost there." Cinna was about to slow his pace, but the head against him made the man persuade Bobby Corwen to continue the fast pace. "Just around this bend..."

"All ready?" Mikoto was surprised, and lifted her head as Bobby Corwen eventually slowed his birdlike gallop to a walk. "That didn't take long..."

"Not with one of these babies." He patted the large yellow bird on the head. "And it's good for them, to, getting the runabout. Useful excercise."

"I never thought about that." Mikoto murmured. "Riding the chocobo to Conde Petie... Of course!"

"Well, you'd want him to grow a bit more before sticking a Mage up on there, but of course you could." The bright sun gave way to a pleasant green glow as they entered the shelter of the trees. "It's why we put so much effort into breeding and training them, so they can be ridden."

"Well, Cinna, you opened my eyes." Mikoto smiled. "Thank you."

"Aw, don't worry about it." His ears turned a shade of pink despite this. "I'm just glad to help. It must be hard, learning everything all at once and still trying to help everyone else."

"You're right, it is." She tightened her hold on Cinna's waist. "The Mages try, but they just don't know enough themselves... Were you serious about me leaving?"

"Of course you have to leave." Cinna frowned. "Maybe give it some time, but you must go and see the world, else how will you learn? And maybe if you teach the Genomes enough, they can come and live on the Mist continent too."

"I would like that." Mikoto confided. "I don't know if they can have souls or not, but even the slowest children eventually learn, right?"

"Right." Cinna affirmed. "You won't be out here forever."

"I would definitely not like that." Mikoto murmured.

"Exactly." Cinna said cheerfully. "Don't dwell on it, you'll go grey."

"I-I'll go grey?" Mikoto blinked. "How? I don't understand..."

"Never mind." Cinna shook his head. "Just an old saying, forget I said it, okay?"

"All right." She frowned nonetheless, sinking into thoughtful silence, and it was a long time before either of them picked up conversation again.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Blank woke again.

Ruby had gotten up sometime after noon, and when the man came to, he found himself sprawled out across the bed. Instead of moving right away, however, Blank out his hands behind his head, staring up at the low wooden ceiling. After such a good, long sleep, he found it too pleasant and comfortable to even move at the moment, choosing instead to close his eyes, listening to the low hum of talking and the light twittering of the birds.

_It really is nice here._ He thought idly. _Not to live in, of course, but it's a good break. Almost like a holiday home. Even the air seems richer._ He didn't realise, of course, that it was how real air actually was, having grown up with the thick smog of Lindblum, and the Mist pervading everywhere he went, until it was finally destroyed.

"Mornin', sleepyhead." Ruby stood at the doorway, a weak smile on her face. "Ya gettin' up?"

"Yeah." Blank sat up in bed, rubbing at his eyes. "And Ruby, about last night..."

"Dun' worry 'bout it." But she lowered her eyes a little all the same. "Silly of us."

"... Yeah." He mumbled as Ruby turned and left the room, feeling downcast. "Silly." _Jeez, I'm getting sick of this pussyfooting around one another. It's getting so stupid..._ With a sigh, he dragged himself out of bed, pulling on the heavier of his clothing, and with a long stretch, brought himself outside, under the pleasant shade of the trees.

"You're looking a lot better." Marcus, who was staring at the stream, turned to greet the still-sleepy Blank. "Feel it?"

"Actually, I do." Blank nodded, stepping beside Marcus, his hands on the railing. "Amazing what a good long sleep can do, huh?"

"Well, you slept damn near twelve hours." Marcus pointed out. "When we all sat down and worked out how much sleep you actually got, it was worrying. No wonder you're cracking up."

"I'm not cracking up." Blank argued defensively. "I'm just a little stressed, all right? And with good reason, last time I looked, what with Zidane being so close to death and all."

"I know that." Marcus sighed. "All of us are like that. But Blank, you're being hard on him, and yourself. You've pulled those sorts of stupid heroics before, too."

"I know, so has everyone." Blank rubbed at his eyes. "But at least I had a freaking _cause-"_

"All right, let's not get into that again." Marcus held up a hand. "I know your pissed, and all, but you're not really going to take it out on him when he wakes up, are you?"

"Like I said, I'm tempted." Blank folded his arms on the wooden railing, staring into the water. "Sometimes I feel like it's all he deserves."

"If he wasn't so hurt, I'd half believe you." Marcus murmured. "But come on, Blank. Especially if he's paralyzed. He doesn't need that guilt hanging over him."

"I know, I know." Blanks hands had clenched at the mention of the word 'paralyzed', and he swallowed. "And I know I flipped out over that. It was just a really nasty shock."

"You're telling me." Marcus murmured. "I thought I was going to pass out when I heard that. It's just really not anything you would expect. But chin up, bro. He's not dead, and not going to be. And even if he is paralyzed, it's not likely to be forever. He'll be able to walk again."

"Hopefully." Blank added darkly, but then sighed in agreement.

"Wanna go see him?" Marcus suggested. "You might feel better. He's got a lot more colour in him."

"All right." Blank agreed, following Marcus, who walked with his hands in his pockets towards the Inn. When they entered the little room, they found it packed with Ruby, Vivi, Baku, Cinna, and Mikoto, all of whom were crowded about the bed.

"We were just about to come and get you." Mikoto looked up as the pair entered the room. "He's moving about a little."

"Great!" Marcus approached the bed, which contained both Zidane, Vivi, and Mikoto, the latter pair curled up at the foot of the bed, legs crossed. "Any words yet?"

"Nope." Vivi shook his head rather sadly. Truth was, he was taking it very, very hard, although he was clearly trying very hard to keep his appearances up. Unlike the others in the room, he had seen Zidane in his last moments of consciousness, worn and weary from seemingly endless fighting, but still hardened with resolve. It was Garnet which hurt Vivi the most, he had seen the way her eyes filled with tears as the airship was lifted into the sky – somehow, she knew, deep down, that it was their final parting. It was her uncontrollable grief that spurred him to decline her invitation to live in Alexandria, and return to the Mages' village. Here, he felt more at peace. Although he saw Zidane in the fact of every Genome that passed, he was able to put it out of his mind, focusing instead on the goings on of the village. Two mages already had died since he settled, and it was this that made him focus on the secret project with Mikoto, that they didn't dare share with anyone else, lest it didn't work.

He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder, and looked up at Mikoto, who smiled weakly at him. He sighed, and returned his gaze to the increasingly restless Zidane.

"You know something Blank?" He finally spoke up, looking from Zidane to his close friend, who jerked out of a torpor to stare at the little mage. "When you were petrified, in the forest, Zidane was really upset. It took ages for Da-Garnet to pull him away. He was angry at you, too, although he tried to focus on getting out of danger."

"Really?" Blank didn't know, because, of course, Zidane had never told him, and probably never would himself. Vivi nodded thoughtfully, staring down at the somewhat faded coverlet.

"Yeah." He sounded somewhat unhappy. "But he never would have been angry to your face."

"I sure as hell wasn't." Marcus gave Blank a heavy clap on the back. "I was just happy to have my bro back. Appreciate what you got, ya know?"

"All right, all right." Blank sighed in exasperation. "I get what you guys are trying to do. And thanks. And I do feel a lot better, trust me."

"Good." Baku muttered. "Now that I've got you all here, I want you to swear something. And this goes for you two as well," he nodded towards Mikoto and Vivi "I know you're not Tantalus members and I have no command over you, but I'd still like this to be followed."

"Got it." Mikoto agreed, and Vivi nodded. "But what do you mean?"

"I mean that even if Zidane's awake, we stay hush hush." Baku rubbed at his eyes. "I know it doesn't sound ideal, but I need a vow of silence on this. No word of this leaves the village. I've spoken to the boys' about this, but it goes for everyone. And if you can't handle whatever happens to Zidane when he wakes up, then don't come near him. Simple as that. I don't want any tears from anybody. I knew a guy who was paralysed, thrown off an airship. When he found out he could never walk again, he drowned himself."

"B-But Zidane wouldn't do that." Cinna frowned. "... Would he?"

"He's that dramatic." Marcus sighed. "I could see him being suicidal if he couldn't walk."

"Don't say that." Blank's shoulders were slumped. Under his breath, Zidane murmured, wordless sounds, his features pulled into a vague frown.

"All the same." Baku kept an authoritative tone in his voice. The others had never seen him so serious before. "If you're sad, he'll be sad. I'm not saying sing and dance, I'm just saying moping will make him feel even more down."

"No." They all looked around to look who dared to protest Baku. "S-Stop..." Above the blankets, Zidane's good hand had clenched.

"Zidane." Baku bent over Zidane, his tone clear and loud. "You're having some sort of dream. Wake up."

"It's no use." Marcus argued. "He's still out to it. Whatever we do, I don't think it'll do a thing."

"Zidane." Baku said again, shaking Zidanes unbroken shoulder.

"He's dreaming." Mikoto stared very intently at Zidane, trying to send some sort of message to the man. "But his head's clearer than it's been in weeks." _Wake up, Zidane._ She begged. _It's time for you to wake up. It's time for you to drag yourself out of this. You have so much more healing to do. _

_Help me._ The weak voice in her head made her start. Zidane. _Sis..._

_Please just wake up._ She was close to tears. _Please..._

_Can't..._

"Yes you can!" She lost control, and leaned over Zidane, shaking his shoulders desperately. "Damnit, wake up!"

_Help..._

"You were built to be better than this!" Marcus and Blank took her arms, gently, but firmly pulling the distraught girl off of Zidane. "I know you can hear me!" For the words ran through her mind as well as her speech. "Just pull yourself free!"

_Can't... Sis... Hurts... Cold..._

"Then wake up." Her voice was nothing more than a hoarse whisper in her throat. "_Wake up._"

_How... Hurts... So much..._

"_You have the strength!" The voice of his sister sounded like a frightening roar. "What's stopping you?"_

"_Can't..." He was barely able to lift a finger. "Need... Help..."_

"_I can't help you." Zidane whimpered, feeling as through something was sorting through his head with a knife, so acute was the pain. "I-I can't..."_

"_Then... How..." It was a world of blackness, he was submerged, suspended in, a frightening realm of Nothing. Even the colour had faded. Although he was closer than ever to reality, he had never before felt so distant from it. "Can't..."_

"_I-I don't know." She really was close to tears of frustration and desperation. "I-I just..."_

_Then, he heard something else entirely. Singing. It took a moment, but finally recognition dawned in him, warmth and joy blossoming through his chest._

_Dagger was singing._

_It was a pure hallucination, he knew. More than likely, this whole episode was just a hallucination. All the same, Zidane tensed, and although the sharp agony in his head had peaked, he never felt stronger._

"_D-Dagger..."_

"_Yes!" Mikoto's voice sounded joyful. "Think of her. Think of how lonely she is. Think of how overcome with grief she has become. Think of how happy she will be when you return."_

"_Must..." Zidane willed his arms to work, panting with exhaustion. "Dagger..."_

"Yes." Mikoto breathed, everybody in the room focused intently on Zidane. She had been released, and now sat on his legs, tightly clenching his good hand. Zidane's eyes flickered.

"D-Dagger..." Mikoto's eyes widened as Zidane weakly clenched onto her hand, the fingers trembling. She had heard the singing in her head, weakly, and was just as clueless as Zidane as to where it came from. His lips parted, and he took a shallow breath. "M-Must..." The entire room held its' breath, waiting intently for Zidane to finally be released from the awful prison of his own mind.

And finally, with a deep gasp that made his lungs burn with the effort, Zidane finally opened his bleary eyes.

* * *

Yaaaay :D

R&R?


	5. Chapter 5

OMG Like, double update! Yay! So if you clicked the get to last chapter button thingy, then click back one more or you'll miss out lol

I had to, because I have no internet and home, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to use it again. Sucks to be me.

Disclaimer: I dont own a thing. I'm poor like that.

* * *

"Zidane!"

"Oh God!"

"I-Is he all right?"

"Zidane, talk to me!"

"All right, everyone, back!" Baku's voice rang out over the rest, and he pushed at the crowd with his long arms. "Give the boy some air!" Zidane groaned weakly, and his eyelids fluttered, looking at the world through slitted eyes.

"... Hey." He finally managed to groan out weakly, his vision swimming slightly.

"Hey." Baku replied. "How are you feeling, Zidane?" The blonde groaned, his eyes closed again.

"Like... an airship... fell on me." He finally managed to get out, and it was true. Every bone in his body ached, a harsh throbbing seeming to encase him, a steady flash of pain with every heartbeat, except his lower half, which felt numb. He wasn't yet conscious enough to recognise this absence of feeling however, to weak to even keep his eyes open.

"Bwahahaha!" Baku chuckled. "I think you'd be a little less injured by that, my boy!" He would have clapped him on the shoulder, but thought better of it. Far from hurting his ears, Baku's deep, booming laughter soothed Zidane. He was still largely unaware of what the heck was going on. Where was he? What happened? And where was...

"Where..." He took another breath, the ability to talk in complete sentences was as sapped as his strength. "Am... I?"

"You're in the village of the Black Mages." Vivi finally spoke up, his voice trembling. "You were brought here after being rescued from the Iifa tree."

"Oh." Zidane finally opened his eyes again, struggling to get his head around everything, trying to focus. "Where... Dagger?"

"She's in Alexandria." Marcus spoke up. "She doesn't know about you being alive yet. We didn't think you were going to make it."

"Want... See her." Zidane mumbled, his had still aching profusely.

"You will." Baku silenced the others with a look. "But you have to get better first. Or at least, a little more healed." Zidane gave a little half-nod, then sunk into a fresh silence, his hand in Mikoto's lax.

"What..." He needed to know. "Happened... Kuja."

"He's dead." There was no emotion in Blanks voice as he retold the story. "Died as the tree collapsed, we think."

"... Oh." Zidane had visibly slumped and Mikoto squeezed his hand tighter.

"You were in the tree for almost three weeks before we found you." Marcus added. "We'd almost given up hope."

"... Hurts." Zidane acted as though he hadn't heard Marcus. "Tired..."

"Zidane's right." Baku stood up. "All right, everybody out. Marcus, you go with Vivi and get those Mages in here. See if they have any potions that can dull the senses. The rest of you, go and get some rest if you can." It was not yet sunset, but all except Blank and Ruby were exhausted. There were various nods of agreement, and soon Baku and Zidane were the only souls in the room.

"How you feeling?" He asked as the room was finally emptied. Zidane gave the barest ghost of a smile, eyes closed again.

"Sore." He mumbled. "Must look... Horrible."

"Well, you were stuck at the bottom of a tree for almost a month then spent a week passed out in some sort of coma." Baku kept his tone easy and light, to keep Zidane's ragged spirits high. "Not many people could still look good after all that."

"How... Bad?" Zidane was starting to wake up a little, as the fog on his brain started to clear, and he opened his eyes again, this time keeping them open.

"I'm not gonna lie to you." Baku said bluntly. "You're very, very, lucky to be alive. Fractured eye socket, nasty head wound, broken collarbone, cracked ribs, part of your tail is crushed, badly broken arm, and..." With this, he stood up, concern etched very clearly in his face.

"Wh-what?" Zidane managed to groan, watching weakly as Baku walked over the foot of his bed, and pulled at the blankets on the tail end. "What... you doing?"

"Just tell me if you can feel this." Zidane's feet were exposed in the air. Baku tightly squeezed his right foot, looking questioningly at Zidane.

"No..." Confusion started to flood Zidane's features. "Can't..."

"All right." Baku forced him to keep his features calm. "What about this?" He grabbed a dagger at his waist, gently running the point up and down the underside of his left foot.

"N-No..." Zidane's stomach started to churn. What was going on?

"Okay." He replaced the dagger, and refolded the sheets. Just as he did so, the two Mages entered the room, one carrying an array of glass bottles and jars of strange substances.

"I see he is awake." Mr. 64 nodded impassively. "How is he?"

"All right." Baku forced himself to keep his voice steady. "No... No feeling in his feet." He kept his voice lowered, trying not to worry Zidane.

"Ah." Mr 64's tone was grave. "I'm going to give him a painkilling potion, and hopefully, he'll go to sleep. He needs all the rest he can get at the moment."

"Got it." Baku nodded, then turned to the young bandit. "Zidane, I'm going to go for a bit. The Mages will take care of you, all right?"

"... Kay." Zidane nodded, and closed his eyes. Baku swallowed deeply as he left the inn, stepping into the late afternoon air. He saw Blank and Ruby, talking quietly on a little grassy space, and made a beeline for them.

"Yer don' 'ave good news." Ruby said solemnly at the look on Baku's face. The chief bandit sighed, and shook his head as he sat on the grass with a thud.

"Zidane... He can't feel anything in his feet." Baku reported, watching as Blank stilled, and Ruby placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, being stricken herself. "He's... paralyzed." He said the last word somewhat faintly, staring at an indistinguishable point in the distance.

"So... That's it then." Blank's voice was very slow, and he tried his hardest to keep it steady, clutching at the hands on his shoulder. "He's... Not going to walk again."

"Blank, we don' know that." Ruby protested. "He migh' be fine in a month o' so. Righ' Boss? Ain' that whut yer said?"

"Uh, yeah." He nodded, although in reality he actually felt vaguely sick. "Something along those lines."

"I want to see him." Blank burst out strongly, staring to get to his feet. "I want to-"

"Blank, I don't think that's a good idea." Baku protested, pulling Blank back onto the earth. "Not right now, I-"

"N-no, I'll be all right." Blank tried to reassure the man. "I won't flip out, I swear. I'll be steady, and all that you said. I promise."

"No no, I don't mean it like that." Baku waved his hand. "I meant that he's getting drugged and put to sleep by the Mages. He's in a lot of pain right now, and they want him to be sleeping as much as possible."

"O-Oh." Blank relaxed. "Okay then. I thought you meant I couldn't handle it."

"I know you can handle it." He stood up, and clapped a hand on Blank's shoulder. "I'm glad t' see you got a hold of yourself again."

"Well, thanks." Blank nodded. "I just... I don't know what was wrong with me, to be honest."

"I do." Baku said seriously. "It was just stress and tiredness and fear. Don't think anything of it. You knew Zidane best, of course you were going to hurt the most from this. Everyone knew that."

"Ah." Blank murmured. "Well, thanks, I guess. I just needed bringing down to earth."

"Aint that right." Baku cuffed Blank around the head. "Look, I'm gonna go doss down for a bit. And I need a good sleep. Don't you dare wake me unless it's important, all right?"

"You got it." Blank nodded as Baku stamped off. As soon as he was out of earshot, the man sighed deeply, resting his head on his drawn-up knees.

"Blank." Ruby said, unsure of what to say. Normally, she would have teased him, but of course this was serious.

"I think I still am cracking up." Blank muttered, his voice still slightly muffled. "I just feel so screwed up. And _man,_ poor Zidane." He felt as though there were no words, really, to express just how bad he felt for his newly-crippled friend.

"Yeah." Ruby sounded just as morose. "Poor, poor Zidane." She sniffed a little, and Blank turned, looping an arm laxly around her shoulders.

"Hey, I thought the Boss said none of that." Blank smiled weakly. "Come on, Ruby, chin up. It's going to be okay. I'm a lot more relieved than I thought I would be, now that he's awake. Don't you see? He's not going to die. He might not ever walk again, and that's so sad the thought of it makes me feel sick, but he's alive. And talking."

"Listen ta yer." Ruby sniffed, but Blanks weak cheer was infectious, and she smiled. "Talkin' as though yer weren' the worst of all a few days ago."

"I know." Blank groaned. "And I'm still so angry I want to beat the snot out of him, trust me. But the happiness and relief us just overriding that, right now."

"That's somethin', at least." Ruby sighed, and rubbed at her moist eyes. "Lets' go huh? See t' others."

"All right." Blank agreed, and stood up. He extended an arm, and helped Ruby to her feet. As she straightened, she was very close to Blank, and something in her face, her eyes, gave the impression that she wanted to embrace him, perhaps, or something even more outlandish, but a moment later, she coughed, and turned away, heading back towards the village, leaving Blank with a blush on his face so wide it stained his ears.

* * *

"An' jus' _whut_ are yer two doin'?" Ruby asked, her hands on her hips as she stared into the room. Cinna looked up from the mixing bowl in his hands, looking rather sheepish.

"Baking." Mikoto withdrew her head from the oven, which she had just added fresh wood to. "Cinna's teaching me how to make South Gate Bundt Cake."

"Ooooh." Wanting to keep Zidane out of her head for a moment, Ruby pulled up a chair at the table, watching Cinna mixing the batter cautiously. "I didn' realise they ever released t' recipe."

"They didn't." Cinna admitted. "I'm sorta winging it here. Is the oven hot enough, Mikoto?"

"As it ever will be." She took a seat next to Ruby, watching as Cinna spooned the dark mixture into the tin. "Will it be nice?"

"Hopefully." Cinna murmured, setting the tin into the oven, and closing the door. "But hey, we tried, didn't we?" Blank, who was standing in the doorway, smiled. "You look cheery."

"I'm trying, like you." Blank teased, but took the other seat next to Ruby. "Baku spoke to us." His expression darkened, and he looked down at his hands. At his left, Ruby rested her head on folded arms, knowing what was coming.

"And?" Mikoto's knuckles were white. He'd never realised before just how much it was affecting Mikoto, but on further thought, of course it would. Zidane was her only real link to this world, was her brother. She may have only met him recently, but had been very aware of his existence all of her life. She was also very young, he realised thoughtfully. She couldn't have been older than thirteen, although in Genome years, that could have meant anything, in his opinion.

"No feeling in his feet." Blank relayed Baku's short message. "Paralyzed." Cinna closed his eyes, stricken, and Mikoto bit down hard on her lower lip, clearly trying to keep her composure. Guilty at causing such distress, Blank leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. In just six short words, he'd turned the cheer and happiness in the bright little room to a depressing gloom. It just didn't seem fair.

* * *

_Dagger was in another dream._

_Of clouds, a deeper purple, which seemed to enclose her tightly. She stood on a little hill, more of a mound, the earth barren, and bare. She looked down, less surprised than she would have like to have been, to see a long black dress, the full mourning garb, dressed on her thin frame. A black veil stretched over her face. Even her handkerchief was black. _

_She started to walk, in the direction the clouds chose, which parted way for her. After a very short while, she found herself in a clearing. The clouds dissipated completely, and she eventually saw it was in her own castle._

_The cemetery._

_Grabbing tight handfuls of her dress, Dagger continued to walk, drawn like a magnet to the centre, where a tall white marble statue had been erected. A powerful warrior, wielding a weapon that was only the stuff of legend. Zidane._

_She gave a muffled sob. Below the statue, stretched out on another block of white marble, lay the dead thief himself, hair freshly washed and combed, and wearing the traditional robes of the King of Alexandria. Dagger slowly walked towards Zidane, but as she was a few steps away, she paused, eyes widening._

_He was ancient._

_Well, ancient, was a harsh word, but he appeared much older. His blonde hair was streaked with grey, heavy lines set around his mouth and eyes. There was a crown on his head, of delicate gold set with emeralds and sapphires. Confused, Dagger took a step back, eyes falling on the proud golden plaque that stood underneath the tall statue. "Zidane Tribal, seventy-fourth King of Alexandria. Fell gloriously in battle at the hands of Burmecian rebels in the thirtieth year of his reign, aged forty-eight." Daggers' voice died in her throat, and she fell back, holding a hand to her mouth. "Wh-what is going on?"_

"_This is one path your life may lead." Dagger froze, and looked up to the sky, but all she saw were the same deep purple clouds, turbulent and stormy. The rich, golden Voice continued, unabated. "For even if he lives, and all you desire shall come to pass, happiness is fleeting."_

"_Wh-What do you mean?" Dagger cried out, returning her gaze to the dead King. She longed to reach out and touch him. "Is this a prophecy? Explain yourself!"_

"_I do not have to explain myself to a mortal such as you." The Voice hardened, and Dagger bowed her head, slightly embarrassed. "This is no prophecy. This is one of the many paths of life which you may lead. You are one of the very few, which Fate has not directed from since before birth. Indeed, you have already directed your own future, from the moment you broke your mothers trust, and fled the castle, under the guise of being kidnapped."_

"_I-I do not understand." Dagger breathed. "Are you to say that I'm the one who has to save Zidane?"_

"_Far from it." The Voice directed the young Queen. "Zidane is another being outside the jurisdiction of Fate. His future was determined, as was yours, before birth. His destiny was that of death and destruction of the Gaian people. Now that that future has been broken, he has direction of his own life."_

"_Do you know what will happen to him?" Dagger's finger caressed Zidane's silver-stained locks._

"_In the near future, I have some idea." _

"_Is he alive then?" Dagger dared to hope, turning her tearful face back up to the sky._

"_Yes." It was a directive Voice, firm and authoritarian. "But do not fill yourself with hope. He is at the doorway of death. And even if he survives, he will still have the hardest challenge of his life to face."_

"_Wh-What do you mean?" Dagger pleaded, wiping at her damp cheeks. "What can be harder than overcoming the greatest threat the world has ever faced?"_

"_Overcoming his own body." The Voice stated, the girl more confused than ever. "Our greatest challenges are never external. They come from within. Zidane's most horrible prison will be the confinements of his broken body, shall he live."_

"_I-I still don't understand..." Dagger sniffed. "What confinements?"_

"_I shall not tell you his story, any more than I shall tell him yours." The Voice actually sounded rather stern. "This path which you see has become the least likely, as time wears on. He will become the King of Alexandria, and indeed, the most powerful that the kingdom has ever seen. He will then begin to 'share' this power with the surrounding nations and spread his jurisdiction over the Mist Continent, and eventually the world. But the time he is forty, he shall be a powerful and bloodthirsty tyrant, the entire planet of Gaia completely under his thumb."_

"_N-No!" Dagger shouted angrily. "Zidane would never let that happen! He's not like that!"_

"_I said one path, my child. And as time wears on, this path grows thinner. Soon, it will diminish completely, one way or another. I do not see this happening."_

"_Then, why show this to me?" Dagger cried. "Why not show Zidane as a good King, dying of some illness when he's very old?"_

"_Because, you need to be aware." The Voice, although strong, ringing heavily throughout the scene, was still incredibly calm. "Part of Zidane's rise to power is the complacency of his wife. You." Daggers' mouth was partly open in surprise. "You will be so ignorant, so blind to him and trusting, like all of his loyal subjects, that you would not realise until it would be too late. You must know that this is still possible. You are the rightful ruler of Alexandria. It is only by sexism and politics that Zidane may become King beside you, instead of some Queen Consort. You must be aware that the seed of evil is inside him. It was planted inside him, at the very early stage of creation. The bloodlust and hunger for power, to dominate and rule Gaia, was bred into him on purpose. It may have been almost beaten out of him by the young Kuja and replaced with a love for the Gaian people by the Bandit chief, but it still exists. And it still may prove to be his downfall."_

"_B-But he wouldn't." Dagger argued. "His love for Gaia, for me, for its' people, is much too strong for that! It doesn't matter what was put into him at birth, what matters is now! And Zidane would never hurt Gaia! He was the one that saved it!_"

"_Ignorance." The Voice said calmly. "This is your only chance, and you must heed my words. I am not saying that the moment Zidane becomes King, he will wage war. But the power will awaken that lust for control within him. It will be down to himself, if he will be either a cruel tyrant or a wise, just King, but if he succumbs to the former, his death will better the people of Gaia."_

"_Wh-What are you saying?" Dagger burst into fresh tears, and flung herself onto her knees. She clutched at the body of the elderly Zidane, her tears falling upon his cold, lifeless skin. "I could never kill him!"_

"_Not even to save the world?" The Voice had a low, threatening rumble to it. Dagger shook her head strongly, not letting go of Zidane. "You would sacrifice the world if it meant Zidane stayed by you."_

"_I-I wouldn't have to." Dagger pleaded. "I would change him, make him see the light, remind him of all the good times he's had, how hard he tried to save Gaia from being ruled by a cruel tyrant."_

"_You say this as though he would still love and care for you." The Voice said plainly. The colour drained from Dagger's cheeks, and she looked down at Zidane's lifeless face. _

"_O-Of course he would!" Dagger protested. "He would always love me! Just like I would love him forever, no matter what he turned into!"_

"_Power changes people." The Voice said gravelly. "Look at your mother." Dagger fell very quiet, her hands shaking. "You are not heeding my warning, young Queen. This future may not happen. I am not sure of the future yet. I do not know what is Zidane's path, or yours. But I am warning you, Queen Garnet. I am reminding you that a time may come where Zidane will show a motion that is not kind, the cruel overpowering of a group of rebels or protestors, perhaps, of the nasty punishment of those who do not pay taxes, a tightening of laws. But if that moment comes where Zidane forces his power and control a little too forcefully on his people, you must put your love for him aside, and do the deed. For sure, after he did such a thing, it would be only a matter of time, before he stopped loving you."_

_By the time the voice had finished, Dagger had her arms around Zidane, deeply breathing in his scent. The front of his magnificent robes was damp with her tears, but they had now faded, and Dagger was hardened, and resolute._

"_You don't know him!" She burst out savagely, still embracing this elderly image of Zidane tightly. "You have no idea what he's like! He would never hurt me or anyone!"_

"_I am all-seeing and all-knowing." The Voice said stoutly. "I know better than you the workings of Zidane's mind. I am not saying this will come to pass, it seems less likely every day, but you must still remember this. It is not often that I appear to people, Queen Garnet. This warning is grave. Watch your King carefully, or he may be the destroyer of Gaia, just as Garland intended." _

_With that, the clouds lowered, and began to swirl around her. Crying out, Dagger tried to clutch the man tightly, but he slipped through her fingers, like melting butter, and succumbed to the maelstrom of deep purple cloud._

Garnet's eyes snapped open without a cry.

Although a lump pushed at her throat, she forced it down, closing her eyes as she sat up, hugging herself tightly. She thought she could still smell Zidane, feel his soft hair through his fingers, his cold but strong and slender body clutched close to hers...

_He's gone_. Hopelessly, Garnet sank back into the bed, staring up at the ceiling. The dream still ran through her head, every word of the strange voice running through her head. _It was just another dream..._

"_No."_

Garnet sat bolt-upright in bed, heart hammering. "H-Hello?" She called out softly, not wanting to attract the guards just outside the door. "Wh-where are you?"

"_It was no simple dream."_

She stared from left to right, but all she could see was a bird on the windowsill. _A bird? At this hour?_ She stared very hard at the small white bundle of feathers.

"_Heed my warning."_

It _was_ the bird! She started, but before she could move another inch, the bird gave a light little chirp, and fluttered off into the night.

_Whatever that Voice was, it can't be true._ Garnet pushed her short hair behind her ears, and drew her knees up to her chest, staring at the wine-red sheets. _I know Zidane! And he is a good person, the stoutest of heart I've ever met. He would not be consumed by power like that, not him. _

_Could he?_

_No._ Garnet shook her head. _And besides, the Voice said it may not even happen. That there were too many possibilities. _ She sighed deeply.

_So he is alive then._ Slowly, she stood up, and started to walk across the room, almost dreamlike in her step. When she reached the window, she stared out at the scene, which was graced with a strong, almost full, moon. The castle gardens, the river, the tiled roofs of the few houses that were actually built, the winding cobbled streets, and further out, the vast forests, cliffs, and meadows of the Mist Continent. He was out there, somewhere. Probably still on the Lost Continent. She shivered, for the night air was cold, but did not rush to grab a robe.

_Perhaps I should send some troops to the Iifa tree._ She swallowed. _He may still be trapped there, somehow able to stay alive for so long. He cannot die! Not while there is still a chance! _She bowed her head, letting out long breaths of air. _Yes._ Hardened with resolve, she straightened, and turned, grabbing her heavily quilted night robe from its hook on the wall. As she pushed open the bedroom door, the two guards started to attention.

"My Queen!" They said in sync, saluting.

"I am going to speak with Beatrix and Steiner." She said, putting on her most regal airs. "If anybody shall ask, say I was struck with a sudden hunger and went to the royal kitchens." The pair nodded, watching as she turned, and made her way silently along the royal corridor of the castle. Down one flight of stairs, up another, turn a corner, run down this hall, down another flight of stairs, and along another corridor, and she stood at the door that led to the shared apartments of Beatrix and Steiner.

"Hello?" She pushed open the door, but the sitting room was empty, a few embers smouldering in the fireplace. She rushed to the bedroom, and knocked impatiently on the door, not wanting to burst in on the sleeping pair. After a few moments of silence, she knocked again, this time harder, and a thump, followed by several muffled words met her ears. Finally, the door was pushed open, and a tired Steiner answered the door, in his nightclothes.

"Yes, what- My Queen!" He took a step back in surprise. "What is it that brings you here? What is wrong?"

"What's going on?" Beatrix finally joined the pair, eyes widening at the sight of Garnet. "Garnet, what's wrong?"

"I-I..." She licked her lips. "Zidane's alive." She said firmly. "He's alive, but he's dying. Somebody has to go and rescue him!" Steiner and Beatrix exchanged looks.

"My Queen, it's late." She said kindly. "Who told you this? What happened?"

"It was a dream." Garnet rushed over that. "Please, we must-"

"A dream, like the night before?" Beatrix had the tone of one talking to a small child, and it was maddening for Garnet. "They're all simply just tricks of the mind, they-"

"This one _wasn't!_" She would have stamped her foot if she was a very little bit younger. "This was no normal dream. I spoke with... I don't know who it was... But he said things... Things my mind couldn't make up. And then when I woke up, he appeared to me in a bird. How can that be false?"

"You've had a rough few days." Beatrix said softly, taking Garnets shoulders and starting to cross the room. "And not a good nights' sleep. You were probably still dreaming. Garnet, Perhaps if-"

"NO!" Garnet shouted, pulling herself free. "Listen to me, you two. This wasn't a dream! I dreamt that I was at Zidane's grave when he died as a King at forty-eight! It was a vision of the future! Or... What could be the future." She looked away, felling vaguely ill at the thought. "Please, you must listen to me..."

"How about we all sit down, and you start at the beginning." Steiner suggested, directing Garnet to the comfortable sitting-room chairs. "Maybe Beatrix and I will understand better if we hear the whole story."

"Well... All right." Garnet relented, although she was bursting to send some soldiers to the Iifa Tree. However, she retold the story as best as she could remember, which was almost exact, so vivid was her image. As she explained how Zidane was at risk of becoming a cruel ruler of Gaia, Something tightened in Beatrix's face, and Steiner's brow furrowed. By the time Garnet had finally finished her tale, she was nearly hoarse, and her hands trembled in her lap. Beatrix leaned back in her chair thoughtfully, and Steiner cautiously reached forward, patting Garnet's knee rather awkwardly.

"If it means aught, I can't see Zidane succumbing to such evil either." He said gently. Garnet looked up, her expression brightening.

"You mean you believe me?" She asked. "You don't think I'm addled with sleep, or mad?"

"That doesn't sound like a normal dream." Beatrix said thoughtfully. "And after everything we've seen, all those strange things, I'm willing to believe that Fate itself appeared to you in a dream, warning that Zidane has risk of eventually following the evils he was born to commit."

"S-Steiner?" She looked hopefully at her most trusted advisor. "Wh-What do you think?"

"I think it is a bit beyond me." He groaned. "But I also think Beatrix is right. It does seem very conceivable."

"Oh, you two!" Garnet jumped up, and hugged them both. "I hoped you would believe me!" The old fire inside her had returned. "Then we must send troops at once to scour the Iifa tree." She clasped her hands together. "They can aid Tantalus in their search, if they are still there." She added. "And then... Then we can finally rescue Zidane! I knew he was alive, I just knew it!" Beatrix and Steiner shot each other uneasy looks.

"I'll go and get a squadron sorted." Steiner stood up, then looked down at himself. "After I get dressed." He added, and returned to the bedroom, leaving Beatrix with Garnet.

"And you have to go to bed." She warned the girl. "All of this fragmented sleep is bad for you."

"I don't think I could sleep." She said truthfully. "I just... I'm too edgy to sleep. All I can think about is him..."

"All the same, you should try." Beatrix advised wisely. "Run along back to bed now, and try to squeeze in a couple of hours. I myself will get ready, all right?" Garnet eventually nodded, and left the apartment, leaving Beatrix to open the bedroom door, which she closed softly, and leaned again heavily.

"What do you honestly make of this?" Steiner looked over at Beatrix, half in his armour.

"Honestly? I think that really is a vision." Beatrix opened her own wardrobe, pulling out her favourite cream-coloured dress. "And that we should heed it."

"What part?" Steiner said lowly, fitting his breastplate. "The part where he may still be alive, or where he could be a cruel ruler."

"The latter." She said rather regretfully, changing out of her nightclothes. Steiner blushed, and looked away. "Oh, Adelbert, stop. Nothing you haven't seen before." She teased, making him blush.

"Yes, but..." He sighed. "I know he may be naught but a thief, and I was the harshest critic of him, but I never saw anyone with truer resolve. He's the genuine thing. And that is so hard to find now."

"I know." Beatrix sat on the edge of the large bed, staring at the floor. "And I applaud him for it. I do. But it just seems to freakishly conceivable..."

"I know." He muttered darkly, pulling on his shoes. "But Beatrix." He turned to regard the woman. "Two months ago, I would have given my life to make sure that rogue would never get the crown of Alexandria. Now I feel I'd give my life to make sure he achieves it."

"Aren't you nice." Beatrix smoothed out her clothes as she stood up, staring at her reflection in the mirror. "So, are you going to send some troops?" Steiner, who was about to leave the room, paused.

"Wh-what do you mean?" He frowned. "What on earth are you suggesting?"

"Nothing, I suppose." She looked down at the top of the bureau. "I'm just wondering where they would be better stationed."

"I know." Steiner said quietly. "And, to be honest, I have my complete faith in that band of thieves."

"Never thought I'd hear that." Beatrix said somewhat mildly.

"No, I mean it." Steiner said seriously. "Look at all the effort they went through to rescue that man who saved us in the Petrified Forest. Do you not think they would do the same for Zidane?"

"I think you finally grew a heart for the lower classes of Gaia." She smiled, setting down her brush, her hair neatly done. "But, I agree." She looked thoughtful. "I mean, the size of the Iifa tree... could you think of any Alexandrian soldiers who would plunge into its' depths?"

"No." Steiner shuddered in remembrance. "It's a truly hellish place. I wouldn't even go in there."

"Exactly." Beatrix swallowed. "If we went troops there, they wouldn't do a thing, no matter how much we commanded them."

"But we promised the Queen..." Steiner said slowly. "You can't..."

"What she doesn't know won't hurt her." The General unbuckled her sword from around her waist, her mind made up. "We'll simply say we sent a group. She doesn't know exactly how many soldiers we have. She'd never know."

"We cannot deceive her like this!" Steiner shook her fist as Beatrix kicked off her shoes.

"It will be better, in the end." Beatrix said gently. "Or, we could simply say we sent a group who returned after a few days of inspection, saying that the Tree was just too perilous to enter. If it's at a risk of more life, then she will not force them."

"... True." Steiner finally agreed, his shoulders bowed. "All the same..."

"Look, I personally can't see how Zidane could even be alive." She was a dreadfully practical woman. "A month, without medical care, food and water? Not even he could survive that."

"You didn't know him as well, then." Steiner muttered. "Because I did, and I know that he would not succumb to this so easily."

"Oh, Adelbert, it's _not_ easy." She stood behind him, her arms wrapped around her shoulders. "That is no small feat. To be trapped and badly injured for so long... No one could survive that. I know that keeping a facade for the Queen is vital, but personally..." She trailed off, her opinion clear.

"But he was so..." Steiner trailed off, and eventually relaxed into the hold the woman had on him.

"I know." She said softly. "Get some more sleep. We'll make a pretence that we have sent troops before down. Do not worry, she wouldn't suspect the latter."

"I cannot believe we have been reduced to blatant lies." Was all the man could morosely reply.

* * *

It was a few hours from dawn, when Blank, who had only just eased into a fitful doze, snapped his eyes open, immediately wide awake. Although the others had made a unholy din of snoring since a couple of hours after sunset, they were exhausted, while Blank, who had slept the day away, still felt very refreshed. Creeping out of the bed, careful not to disturb Ruby, who was snoring up a storm herself, Blank pulled on his gloves and shoes, slipping quietly out of the house, and into the outside world, which was bathed in the soft, silvery hue of moonlight.

It was really so beautiful, that it just took his breath away. Blank sighed as he stared at the rippling waves of water of the stream, throwing moonbeams about itself, the soft, dewy grass almost milk-white under the light, the gently rustling of the silver-coloured trees. After a moment's thought, he turned, and started to head towards the Inn. Doubtlessly, Zidane would be asleep, drugged up to his eyeballs, but with nothing else really to do, and daylight a long time coming, he made his way towards the squat building. As he pushed open the door, and then made his way into the bedroom, he blinked, surprised to find it filled with low, golden lamplight. What was even more confusing was the figure of Zidane, who was wide awake, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey." Blank blinked with surprise, and took a seat on the bed beside the badly injured blonde. "I thought you would be asleep."

"They tried to." Zidane's voice was startling clear, if a little weak. He shifted his gaze from the ceiling, to look at Blank. "I-I can't."

"Why not?" On an impulse, Blank grabbed Zidane's hand, squeezing the fingers tightly. Zidane gave a small, sad smile, although his lower lip trembled, and he gave a weak grasp back. "Zidane? What's up?"

"I-I'm... I'm _paralyzed_." The words almost refused to leave Zidane's mouth. He couldn't say anything more, but the heart-breaking anguish and pain reflected in his blue-green eyes spoke volumes.

"I know." Blank tried to keep his voice steady. "They realised a little bit before you woke up." Zidane swallowed, and closed his eyes."You all right?"

"No." Zidane weakly shook his head. "I-I... It's... just running through my head... Everything I-I'll miss out on."

"Maybe you shouldn't." Blank suggested. "Try to think on the positives. You're alive."

"Alive and crippled." Was Zidane's weak reply. "Wh-what's the _point..."_

"Zidane, don't say that." Blank swallowed. "It's a shock, I know but-"

"Of _course_ it's a damn shock!" Zidane burst out, his voice shaking. "I-I'll never walk again, B-Blank. I-I... I c-can't..." He closed his eyes, very tightly, and gritted his teeth, but Blank saw the tears leaking from his eyes. He let out a long, shaking breath, trying so hard to regain his composure. "I-I..."

"It's okay to be upset about it." Blank said gently.

"B-But, being upset... H-how does it help? I-I... I just feel so _lost..."_ Zidane gulped deeply, his lower lip trembling violently.

"And that's okay too." Blank was trying to console the blonde, but was actually doing a very bad job of it. "Hell if it were me, I'd-"

"Look, just shut up!" Zidane burst out savagely, and with a burst of strength he didn't know he had left in him, he sat up, and grabbed Blank by his shirt. "I don't care what you'd do! It's not you that's crippled, it's me! It's me and it's my entire fault, because I was so arrogant and proud. I had to be the hero one last stupid time!" His voice died in his throat, and Zidane panted with the strain. He was clinging to Blank at this point, rather than holding him, his half-starved frame shaking violently. Blank was so overcome with an immense sorrow and pity for one of his closest friends, that he simply wrapped his arms around Zidane's broken body, in a tight, brotherly embrace.

"It's okay." Blank murmured. In reality, it was far, so far from okay, but poor Zidane was so tired, so worn out and overcome with grief and self-loathing, half the bones in his near-emaciated body broken, that he collapsed into the comfort of Blanks' arms, dissolving into hopeless sobs on the red-headed mans shoulder. Blank only cradled him as one would hold a child, any rage and anger he had against Zidane dissipated - for, no matter how angry Blank was at Zidane, the blonde's hatred and fury towards himself was a hundred times worse. At that point, Blank realised that, for all the camaraderie and bravado, deep down, he was actually nothing more than a scared, fragile boy who was still crying out for the familial bonds he'd never had, with someone, anyone.

"B-But..." Zidane was able to control himself, if but for a few moments, to talk. "I-I couldn't leave him... I-I just couldn't... I had to try, he's my _brother_."

"No." Blank's voice was so low and irate; he winced, and checked himself. "No." He repeated in a softer tone. "He wasn't your brother." Blank still held Zidane, the blonde so frighteningly tiny that he felt as though he might slip away in his arms. "He might have been made just like you, but so what? Your real brothers are here. Me and Cinna and Marcus. We always have been, Zidane. We're all a family."

With that, Zidane broke down again, his nerves shot to pieces. Blank pushed back a few tears himself as he held Zidane, waiting patiently until his agonized sobs had died down, and all that was left was a harsh, shallow breathing. Slowly, Blank eased Zidane back into the bed, and straightened up the blankets, Zidane sniffing quite pathetically.

"I was angry with you." Blank admitted, taking Zidane's hand again, the Genome glad of the comfort. "I actually declared that I wasn't going to feel sorry for you in the least." He lowered his eyes in embarrassment, that he could ever feel so cold towards the man he had just declared his brother. Zidane squeezed his hand weakly.

"I-I don't want pity." Zidane mumbled, but despite the optimistic words, there was a dullness in his eyes, like a little light in there had been snuffed out. It was the heartbreaking, hopeless shadow of defeat. "I-I... I want..." He looked down at his useless legs in disgust, and let out a low moan, sinking into the pillows. He wanted the strength to scream and shout and break things, but instead, the turbulent emotions remained harboured in his chest, stewing in his own pain and self-loathing.

"It's not gonna be forever." Blank swallowed, his mouth dry. "I-I mean, they say that it might not be permanent..."

"Might." Was all Zidane could mumble, looking more depressed than Blank had ever seen him. This was a stark change from the barely-conscious, bleary man that had woken just a few hours before. The truth was; the shock of the news, that he was paralyzed, kept his mind active and racing. "Kids are out of the question." He mumbled after a few minutes of silence.

"A-Are they?" Blank squeaked. Zidane nodded weakly. "O-Oh, _man..."_ For Zidane had always loved children, and confided to Blank that he was so excited to have his own children, a boy and a girl, a boy he could teach to fight and steal, and a girl he could spend hours and hours telling stories, legends of the land, fairy-tales, and escapades of his own colourful life to. "How?"

"Waist down, Blank." Zidane seemed to be having trouble talking. "Wh-What else is below the waist, other than the legs?"

"O-_Oh."_ Blank swallowed, never thinking of that before. "Y-you mean..."

"Yeah, I'll never sleep with anyone, have kids, walk, go to the _toilet_ by myself..." Zidane would have probably started crying again, if Blank didn't tighten his grip on the blonde's hand.

"It's going to be all right." Blank tried to console his close friend. "Look, you have us. We can give you all the help you need-"

"I don't _want_ help!" Zidane cut over the red-headed man. "I-I want my back fixed! I want feeling back! I-I..."

"Zidane-"

"N-No!" Zidane wrenched his hand free of Blanks'. "I-I don't want any 'Zidane'. I-I don't want you sit there saying it's going to be all right. It's _not._"

"Zidane-"

"What did I _just_ say?" Zidane's eyes flashed. "You know what, Blank? Go away! Just... Just get out of here! I don't want to see you or anyone!" The effort of yelling, as weak as it was, had sapped him of almost all his strength, but he managed to glare at Blank. "I mean it." He muttered through gritted teeth. "Go!"

"... All right." Blank didn't push the point. Zidane was getting himself worked up, and he didn't want the blonde to hurt himself. "I'll go. But Zidane, being angry at everything won't help."

"I have a _right_ to be angry." Was all Zidane muttered in a low, savage reply. Without another word, Blank then turned, and closed the door, shutting it behind himself, leaning against the wood heavily, feeling sick with pity for his poor brother.

As soon as he was alone, Zidane buried his face in his pillow, trembling. He was cold with fury, but not towards Blank, but himself. He screamed, weakly, into the soft cushion of cloth and feathers, hands clenching at the pillow. He really wanted to throw it, but didn't have the strength. Instead, he rolled partly over onto his side, shuddering as his legs followed the motion of the rest of the body, rolling like dead weights. They no longer seemed to be a part of him. They were parasitic, useless things. Part of him, a large part, wanted to cut them off. Instead, Zidane bit down on the pillow, hot, angry tears forming in his eyes and slowly dampening the sheets. His good arm was beneath him, the bad, broken one folded on the sheet before him. He tried to keep it as still as possible, as every movement from the arm sent a fresh burst of pain blossoming up his arm. His broken collarbone also twinged with each movement, his ribs ached, his head throbbed, and he couldn't feel anything below his waist.

And yet, despite all of this injury, not for a fleeting moment, did Zidane ever feel sorry for himself.

* * *

Awwwh. Cue sad angst and melodrama for all.

R&R? And both, two please, I mean I put a lot of effort into this, so I'm sure you can take a couple of second just to say you likes it (or didn't)


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